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Full Idea
What all these [non-cognitivist] theories try to do is to give the conditions of use of sentences such as 'It is morally objectionable to break promises', in terms of something which must be true about the speaker.
Gist of Idea
Non-cognitivists give the conditions of use of moral sentences as facts about the speaker
Source
Philippa Foot (Does Moral Subjectivism Rest on a Mistake? [1995], p.192)
Book Ref
Foot,Philippa: 'Moral Dilemmas' [OUP 2002], p.192
A Reaction
A wonderfully simple and accurate analysis of this view. Compare analysing 'there is a bus coming towards you' in the same way. Sounds silly, but lots of modern philosophers see things that way.
22485 | Non-cognitivists give the conditions of use of moral sentences as facts about the speaker [Foot] |
22486 | The mistake is to think good grounds aren't enough for moral judgement, which also needs feelings [Foot] |
22487 | Moral arguments are grounded in human facts [Foot] |