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Example 5 Mark Questions & Answers: Problems With Anti-realism
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A compilation of 5 marker essay questions and exemplar answers for the problems with moral anti-realism. For AQA A-level philosophy.
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Problems With Anti-Realism 5 markers1. Explain the criticism of Emotivism that it can’t adequately explain how we use moral language
2. Explain the criticism of Emotivism that it leads to nihilism
3. Explain the criticism of Emotivism that it can’t explain moral progress
4. Explain the criticism of Prescriptivism that it can’t adequately explain how we use moral language
5. Explain the criticism of Prescriptivism that it leads to nihilism
6. Explain the criticism of Prescriptivism that it can’t explain moral progress
7. Explain the criticism of Error Theory that it can’t adequately explain how we use moral language
8. Explain the criticism of Error Theory that it leads to nihilism
9. Explain the criticism of Error Theory that it can’t explain moral progress
1. Emotivism is an anti-realist theory in ethics, which claims that moral judgements
are actually expressions of emotion. Since this theory does not support the
concept of mind independent moral properties, or the idea of moral facts, it
appears unable to account for our use of moral language. For example we can
express or elicit emotion with no relation to moral language. This is often done in
advertising- the aim of the advert can be to prompt emotional responses in
people without having to use explicitly moral terms/phrases. Another way we can
use moral language that does not correspond with emotivism, is when the moral
language is disconnected from emotion. To illustrate, in law, verdicts and pleas
use moral language. The moral language has to be detached from emotion
because there cannot be any bias or prejudice in court, for the sake of justice.
Since emotivism fails to adequately account for our use of moral language, it fails
as an anti-realist theory.
2. Emotivism is the anti-realist position which claims that ethical statements are
expressions of emotions and not beliefs. This theory is non-cognitivist, so it
claims that there is no such thing as moral facts. This concept though, that there
are no moral truths, seems to align with nihilism. Nihilism is the idea that there
are no values, so regarding morality, there are no moral values. If there are no
true moral values though, then morality can be considered worthless- a practice
in futility. This problem arises since emotivism undermines the existence of moral
truths and then fails to give any account of moral obligation. Moral nihilism is a
risk emotivism clearly faces, only the theory does not admit to it in any capacity.
This is a great fault because without an explanation of how it can avoid or solve
moral nihilism, emotivism is left with holes- it is an inadequate ethical theory so
fails as an anti-realist account of morality.
3. Emotivism is the theory in meta-ethics that states moral language is used only to
express emotions. A major aspect of this theory is that it denies the existence of
moral truths. In other words it is a non-cognitivist theory. A problem arises
because then it is possible to question if this theory can account for moral
progress. If we can conceive of moral improvement, throughout time and across
societies, then emotivism should be able to reconcile that with anti-realism.
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