Emotivism and A. J. Ayer

Overview

Recall questions on what moral terms express, the boo-hurrah nickname, the movement behind it, verification, why it is not subjectivism, and whether moral debate becomes pointless.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What does emotivism deny about morality?

   Model answer

   It denies that objective moral laws exist at all, holding there is nothing in the world for a moral claim to describe.

2. 2

   Why is emotivism a non-cognitivist theory?

   Model answer

   Moral utterances express attitudes rather than state propositions, so they cannot be either true or false.

3. 3

   What do moral terms express, according to emotivism?

   Model answer

   They express the speaker's personal emotional attitude of approval or disapproval towards something.

4. 4

   Why is emotivism nicknamed the boo-hurrah theory?

   Model answer

   Calling an act wrong amounts to voicing disapproval and calling it good amounts to voicing approval, rather like booing or cheering.

5. 5

   How does emotivism explain the persistence of moral disagreement?

   Model answer

   People are voicing conflicting attitudes rather than disputing a fact, so no amount of evidence could settle the difference between them.

6. 6

   Which philosophical movement lies behind Ayer's emotivism?

   Model answer

   Logical positivism, with its principle that a statement is meaningful only if it is analytic or empirically verifiable.

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