George Edward Moore Began analytical ethical philosophy The task of the philosopher of ethics is to conduct a “general inquiry into what is good.” Good is a noncomplex (simple, indefinable, unanalyzable) and nonnatural property of good things.

George Edward Moore Moore’s opinion about what things are good is of less importance than his metaethical opinions. Metaethics: The attempt to understand the sources, criteria, meaning, verification, or validation of moral judgments. Normative ethics: Making, defending, or criticizing moral judgments.

William David Ross Ross examined the nature, relations, and implications of three fundamental conceptions in ethics: –“right,” –“good” in general –“morally good.” Some true moral propositions are self- evident truths.

William David Ross The production of good is not the sole thing that makes an act right. Prima facie (not absolute) duties— things it is our duty to do unless that duty is over-ridden by some other duty.

Utilitarianism and Emotivism Utilitarians, such as Moore and Ross, claim that moral judgments are a type of factual judgment. Many analytic philosophers (such as R. M. Hare) thought that the emotivist analysis of moral judgments was not correct. The emotivists claim that moral judgments have no factual meaning but are linguistic acts by which a speaker expresses his or her feelings about some action.

R.M. Hare (1919–2002) “Preference utilitarianism” -- actions are right if they maximize the satisfaction of preferences or desires, no matter what the preferences may be for. The function of moral discourse is to guide conduct. A moral judgment is a universalizable prescriptive judgment.

Rejection of the “Naturalist Fallacy” The so-called “naturalist fallacy,” adopted by many moral philosophers in the first half of the 20th century, reflected Hume’s view that one cannot deduce an “ought” from an “is.” Now, many philosophers no longer accept the idea that moral evaluations are logically independent of the descriptive premises they are based on.

Renewed Interest in Concrete Ethical Issues Rejection of Emotivism and Rejection “naturalist fallacy” Spurred a renewed interest in concrete ethical issues –sexual morality –affirmative action –biomedical ethics –business ethics –the environment.

Alasdair MacIntyre (1929- ) and Virtue Ethics Traits of character are in many ways more fundamental than rules for action. We possess virtues through inheriting from predecessors. Virtues are traits that promote human flourishing. Influenced by Aristotle, rejected Nietzsche.

Alasdair MacIntyre (1929- ) and Virtue Ethics A particular action viewed outside the context of a person’s life is unintelligible. Each person’s quest for his or her own good or excellence must be undertaken from within that person’s moral tradition.

The Objectivism of Ayn Rand ( ) Pity is a sign of dangerous weakness that has allowed the weak, ignorant, and undeserving to become parasites on those who are strong and productive. Influenced by Nietzsche Progress is made by the brilliant few who affirm life and pleasure, who think for themselves, and who are the creative artists of life.

The Objectivism of Ayn Rand ( ) Certainty in morality is possible through an objective understanding of human behavior rooted in knowable principles. Rights are vested in the individual, never in the group. Opposed feminism and environmentalism Believed men were superior to women, though women should not be dependent or obedient to men.