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Single Idea 5902

[filed under theme 22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / c. Right and good ]

Full Idea

Moore claims that 'right' means 'productive of the greatest possible good'.

Gist of Idea

For Moore, 'right' is what produces good

Source

report of G.E. Moore (Principia Ethica [1903]) by W. David Ross - The Right and the Good §I

Book Ref

Ross,W.David: 'The Right and the Good' [OUP 1930], p.8

A Reaction

Ross is at pains to keep 'right' and 'good' as quite distinct notions. Some actions are right but very unpleasant, and seem to produce no real good at all.

The 14 ideas from 'Principia Ethica'

22151 The Open Question argument leads to anti-realism and the fact-value distinction [Boulter on Moore,GE]
8033 Moore cannot show why something being good gives us a reason for action [MacIntyre on Moore,GE]
8032 Can learning to recognise a good friend help us to recognise a good watch? [MacIntyre on Moore,GE]
11050 Moore's combination of antinaturalism with strong supervenience on the natural is incoherent [Hanna on Moore,GE]
23726 Despite Moore's caution, non-naturalists incline towards intuitionism [Moore,GE, by Smith,M]
5925 The three main values are good, right and beauty [Moore,GE, by Ross]
8039 Moore tries to show that 'good' is indefinable, but doesn't understand what a definition is [MacIntyre on Moore,GE]
5902 For Moore, 'right' is what produces good [Moore,GE, by Ross]
5907 Relationships imply duties to people, not merely the obligation to benefit them [Ross on Moore,GE]
11057 It is always an open question whether anything that is natural is good [Moore,GE]
11056 The naturalistic fallacy claims that natural qualties can define 'good' [Moore,GE]
5903 'Right' means 'cause of good result' (hence 'useful'), so the end does justify the means [Moore,GE]
18676 We should ask what we would judge to be good if it existed in absolute isolation [Moore,GE]
21233 The beautiful is whatever it is intrinsically good to admire [Moore,GE]