Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Universal Prescriptivism', 'On the Foundations of Logic and Arithmetic' and 'Marx'

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14 ideas

6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 4. Mathematical Empiricism / c. Against mathematical empiricism
The existence of an arbitrarily large number refutes the idea that numbers come from experience [Hilbert]
     Full Idea: The standpoint of pure experience seems to me to be refuted by the objection that the existence, possible or actual, of an arbitrarily large number can never be derived through experience, that is, through experiment.
     From: David Hilbert (On the Foundations of Logic and Arithmetic [1904], p.130)
     A reaction: Alternatively, empiricism refutes infinite numbers! No modern mathematician will accept that, but you wonder in what sense the proposed entities qualify as 'numbers'.
6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 6. Logicism / d. Logicism critique
Logic already contains some arithmetic, so the two must be developed together [Hilbert]
     Full Idea: In the traditional exposition of the laws of logic certain fundamental arithmetic notions are already used, for example in the notion of set, and to some extent also of number. Thus we turn in a circle, and a partly simultaneous development is required.
     From: David Hilbert (On the Foundations of Logic and Arithmetic [1904], p.131)
     A reaction: If the Axiom of Infinity is meant, it may be possible to purge the arithmetic from the logic. Then the challenge to derive arithmetic from it becomes rather tougher.
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / c. Ethical intuitionism
How can intuitionists distinguish universal convictions from local cultural ones? [Hare]
     Full Idea: There are convictions which are common to most societies; but there are others which are not, and no way is given by intuitionists of telling which are the authoritative data.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], p.454)
     A reaction: It seems unfair on intuitionists to say they haven't given a way to evaluate such things, given that they have offered intuition. The issue is what exactly they mean by 'intuition'.
You can't use intuitions to decide which intuitions you should cultivate [Hare]
     Full Idea: If it comes to deciding what intuitions and dispositions to cultivate, we cannot rely on the intuitions themselves, as intuitionists do.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], p.461)
     A reaction: Makes intuitionists sound a bit dim. Surely Hume identifies dispositions (such as benevolence) which should be cultivated, because they self-evidently improve social life?
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / h. Expressivism
Emotivists mistakenly think all disagreements are about facts, and so there are no moral reasons [Hare]
     Full Idea: Emotivists concluded too hastily that because naturalism and intuitionism are false, you cannot reason about moral questions, because they assumed that the only questions you can reason about are factual ones.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], p.455)
     A reaction: Personally I have a naturalistic view of ethics (based on successful functioning, as indicated by Aristotle), so not my prob. Why can't we reason about expressive emotions? We reason about art.
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / i. Prescriptivism
Prescriptivism sees 'ought' statements as imperatives which are universalisable [Hare]
     Full Idea: Universal prescriptivists hold that 'ought'-judgements are prescriptive like plain imperatives, but differ from them in being universalisable.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], p.457)
     A reaction: Sounds a bit tautological. Which comes first, the normativity or the universalisability?
If morality is just a natural or intuitive description, that leads to relativism [Hare]
     Full Idea: Non-descriptivists (e.g. prescriptivists) reject descriptivism in its naturalist or intuitionist form, because they are both destined to collapse into relativism.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], 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.
Descriptivism say ethical meaning is just truth-conditions; prescriptivism adds an evaluation [Hare]
     Full Idea: Ethical descriptivism is the view that ethical sentence-meaning is wholly determined by truth-conditions. …Prescriptivists think there is a further element of meaning, which expresses prescriptions or evaluations or attitudes which we assent to.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], p.452)
     A reaction: Not sure I understand either of these. If all meaning consists of truth-conditions, that will apply to ethics. If meaning includes evaluations, that will apply to non-ethics.
If there can be contradictory prescriptions, then reasoning must be involved [Hare]
     Full Idea: Prescriptivists claim that there are rules of reasoning which govern non-descriptive as well as descriptive speech acts. The standard example is possible logical inconsistency between contradictory prescriptions.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], p.455)
     A reaction: The example doesn't seem very good. Inconsistency can appear in any area of thought, but that isn't enough to infer full 'rules of reasoning'. I could desire two incompatible crazy things.
An 'ought' statement implies universal application [Hare]
     Full Idea: In any 'ought' statement there is implicit a principle which says that the statement applies to all precisely similar situations.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], p.456)
     A reaction: No two situations can ever be 'precisely' similar. Indeed, 'precisely similar' may be an oxymoron (at least for situations). Kantians presumably like this idea.
Prescriptivism implies a commitment, but descriptivism doesn't [Hare]
     Full Idea: Prescriptivists hold that moral judgements commit the speaker to motivations and actions, but non-moral facts by themselves do not do this.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], p.459)
     A reaction: Surely hunger motivates to action? I suppose the key word is 'commit'. But lazy people are allowed to make moral judgements.
23. Ethics / D. Deontological Ethics / 3. Universalisability
Moral judgements must invoke some sort of principle [Hare]
     Full Idea: To make moral judgements is implicitly to invoke some principle, however specific.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Universal Prescriptivism [1991], p.458)
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 4. Changing the State / c. Revolution
In Marxism the state will be superseded [Singer]
     Full Idea: It is a famous Marxist doctrine that the state will be superseded.
     From: Peter Singer (Marx [1980], 9)
     A reaction: Why is that final state communism rather than anarchism?
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 9. Communism
Materialist history says we are subject to incomprehensible forces [Singer]
     Full Idea: The materialist conception of history tells us that human beings are totally subject to forces they do not understand and control.
     From: Peter Singer (Marx [1980], 6)
     A reaction: How does Marx know the forces? An exceptionally influential idea, because it is a modern commonplace that we have very little control over our own lives (apart from right wingers asserting that 'you can have anything if you really really want it').