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Single Idea 11050

[filed under theme 22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / c. Ethical intuitionism ]

Full Idea

Moore incoherently combines his antinaturalism with the thesis that intrinsic-value properties are logically strongly supervenient on (or explanatorily reducible to) natural facts.

Gist of Idea

Moore's combination of antinaturalism with strong supervenience on the natural is incoherent

Source

comment on G.E. Moore (Principia Ethica [1903]) by Robert Hanna - Rationality and Logic Ch.1

Book Ref

Hanna,Robert: 'Rationality and Logic' [MIT 2006], p.2


A Reaction

I take this to be Moore fighting shy of the strongly Platonist view of values which his arguments all seemed to imply.


The 23 ideas from G.E. Moore

A relation is internal if two things possessing the relation could not fail to be related [Moore,GE, by Heil]
The main aim of philosophy is to describe the whole Universe. [Moore,GE]
Analysis for Moore and Russell is carving up the world, not investigating language [Moore,GE, by Monk]
Moore's 'The Nature of Judgement' (1898) marked the rejection (with Russell) of idealism [Moore,GE, by Grayling]
Moor bypassed problems of correspondence by saying true propositions ARE facts [Moore,GE, by Potter]
Hegelians say propositions defy analysis, but Moore says they can be broken down [Moore,GE, by Monk]
Moore tries to show that 'good' is indefinable, but doesn't understand what a definition is [MacIntyre on Moore,GE]
The Open Question argument leads to anti-realism and the fact-value distinction [Boulter on Moore,GE]
Moore cannot show why something being good gives us a reason for action [MacIntyre on Moore,GE]
Can learning to recognise a good friend help us to recognise a good watch? [MacIntyre on Moore,GE]
Moore's combination of antinaturalism with strong supervenience on the natural is incoherent [Hanna on Moore,GE]
Despite Moore's caution, non-naturalists incline towards intuitionism [Moore,GE, by Smith,M]
The three main values are good, right and beauty [Moore,GE, by Ross]
For Moore, 'right' is what produces good [Moore,GE, by Ross]
Relationships imply duties to people, not merely the obligation to benefit them [Ross on Moore,GE]
It is always an open question whether anything that is natural is good [Moore,GE]
The naturalistic fallacy claims that natural qualties can define 'good' [Moore,GE]
'Right' means 'cause of good result' (hence 'useful'), so the end does justify the means [Moore,GE]
We should ask what we would judge to be good if it existed in absolute isolation [Moore,GE]
The beautiful is whatever it is intrinsically good to admire [Moore,GE]
I can prove a hand exists, by holding one up, pointing to it, and saying 'here is one hand' [Moore,GE]
Arguments that my finger does not exist are less certain than your seeing my finger [Moore,GE]
Moore's Paradox: you can't assert 'I believe that p but p is false', but can assert 'You believe p but p is false' [Moore,GE, by Lowe]