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Full Idea
Critics of prescriptivism have noted the problem that whilst accepting a command seems tantamount to setting oneself to obey it, accepting an ethical verdict is, unfortunately, consistent with refusing to be bound by it.
Gist of Idea
Critics of prescriptivism observe that it is consistent to accept an ethical verdict but refuse to be bound by it
Source
Simon Blackburn (Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy [1994], p.300)
Book Ref
Blackburn,Simon: 'Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy' [OUP 1996], p.300
A Reaction
We nearly all of us accept that our behaviour should be better than it actually is, so we accept the oughts but fail to act. Actually 'refusing', though, sounds a bit contradictory.
| 2864 | The main objection to intuitionism in ethics is that intuition is a disguise for prejudice or emotion [Blackburn] |
| 2865 | Critics of prescriptivism observe that it is consistent to accept an ethical verdict but refuse to be bound by it [Blackburn] |
| 2866 | A true belief might be based on a generally reliable process that failed on this occasion [Blackburn] |
| 6451 | Visual sense data are an inner picture show which represents the world [Blackburn] |