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Prescriptivism

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Prescriptivism in relation to ethical language is ethical statements that are about what we think ought to be done. Meaning that when people say something they want to prescribe their views on others. Invented by hare he argued for universalizability, if you refer one thing rather than another then you think this would be good for everyone. In prescriptivism there are four basic ideas. 1. Morality must be about doing not just thinking if you believe. 2. Something is right you must act on it and actually do it. Has to be consistent 3. Moral beliefs must be kept in harmony with other in other words cant cause war. 4. Cannot be a hypocrite
He states that ethical statements are universalizable but this does not mean that they are objective.

However there is also another non-cognitivst concept of ethical language. Emotivism came out of the logical positivist position of the Vienna circle. They believe that absolute truths were based on the empirical scientific knowledge. After developing the verification principle they concluded that neither religious nor ethical language can be verified. Ayer’s solution to the problem of ethical language is known as Emotivism. Or the boo hurrah theory. It argues that out moral are determined by our feelings and opinions of others. When we say that something is good it is like an emotional response that says hurrah to it and if we say something is bad it is like we are booing it. E.g to commandments says stealing is wrong, cannot prove this through science or logic it is simply an expression of moral disapproval. Argued that ethical statements are designed to get an emotional response.

Ethical naturalism on the other hand believes that there is on objective moral law which certain moral truths always apply. Can verify if some statements are right is they full natures definition of good. Hume says that murder is wrong because there preservation of life is central to the existence of human.

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