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Single Idea 2704

[filed under theme 22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / i. Prescriptivism ]

Full Idea

Non-descriptivists (e.g. prescriptivists) reject descriptivism in its naturalist or intuitionist form, because they are both destined to collapse into relativism.

Gist of Idea

If morality is just a natural or intuitive description, that leads to relativism

Source

Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], p.453)

Book Ref

'A Companion to Ethics', ed/tr. Singer,Peter [Blackwell 1993], p.453

A Reaction

I'm not clear from this why prescriptism would not also turn out to be relativist, if it includes evaluations along with facts.

The 17 ideas with the same theme [morality is our assertion of universal duties]:

5168 Moral approval and disapproval concerns classes of actions, rather than particular actions [Ayer]
22331 Moral statements are imperatives rather than the avowals of emotion - but universalisable [Hare, by Glock]
22484 Universalised prescriptivism could be seen as implying utilitarianism [Hare, by Foot]
2855 In primary evaluative words like 'ought' prescription is constant but description can vary [Hare, by Hooker,B]
4125 Hare says I acquire an agglomeration of preferences by role-reversal, leading to utilitarianism [Hare, by Williams,B]
4126 If we have to want the preferences of the many, we have to abandon our own deeply-held views [Williams,B on Hare]
4127 If morality is to be built on identification with the preferences of others, I must agree with their errors [Williams,B on Hare]
22483 A judgement is presciptive if we expect it to be acted on [Hare]
2703 Descriptivism say ethical meaning is just truth-conditions; prescriptivism adds an evaluation [Hare]
2704 If morality is just a natural or intuitive description, that leads to relativism [Hare]
2707 If there can be contradictory prescriptions, then reasoning must be involved [Hare]
2708 An 'ought' statement implies universal application [Hare]
2709 Prescriptivism sees 'ought' statements as imperatives which are universalisable [Hare]
2711 Prescriptivism implies a commitment, but descriptivism doesn't [Hare]
4134 The weakness of prescriptivism is shown by "I simply don't like staying at good hotels" [Williams,B]
2865 Critics of prescriptivism observe that it is consistent to accept an ethical verdict but refuse to be bound by it [Blackburn]
2854 Prescriptivism says 'ought' without commitment to act is insincere, or weakly used [Hooker,B]