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Meta-Ethics and Normative Ethics

  • Book
  • © 1969

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Authors:
  1. H. J. McCloskey
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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-IX
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  2. Meta-Ethics: A Defence of an Intuitionist Ethic

    1. Introductory: Meta-Ethics, Normative Ethics and Morality

      • H. J. McCloskey
      Pages 1-8

  3. Meta-Ethics: A Defence of an Intuitionist Ethic

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 9-9
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    2. Theistic and Naturalistic Meta-Ethical Theories

      • H. J. McCloskey
      Pages 11-44

    3. Non-Cognitivist Meta-Ethical Theories

      • H. J. McCloskey
      Pages 45-92

    4. A Positive Approach: Intuitionism and the Nature of the Objective Moral Facts

      • H. J. McCloskey
      Pages 93-135

    5. Intuitionism: How we Come to Gain Moral Knowledge

      • H. J. McCloskey
      Pages 136-157

  4. Normative Ethics: The Case For Ethical Pluralism

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 159-159
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    2. Introducing Part B From Meta-Ethics to Normative Ethics

      1. Intrinsic Goods
        • H. J. McCloskey
        Pages 163-172
      2. Monistic Theories of Absolute Obligation: Utilitarianism
        • H. J. McCloskey
        Pages 173-198
      3. Pluralistic Theories of Absolute Obligation: Kant and Natural Law
        • H. J. McCloskey
        Pages 199-219
      4. A Positive Approach: <i>Prima Facie</i> Duties
        • H. J. McCloskey
        Pages 220-246

  5. Back Matter

    Pages 247-252
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Keywords

About this book

The purpose of this work is to develop a general theory of ethics which ex­ plains the logical status of moral judgments and the nature of the general principles which we should adopt and on the basis of which we should act. The enquiry into the logical function of moral judgments is entered into as important in its own right and as a preliminary to the normative enquiry, for it is on the basis of our conclusions in the area of meta-ethics, that we de­ termine the appropriate method of reaching our normative ethic. The ap­ proach followed in the meta-ethical enquiry is that of examining theories of the past and present with a view to seeing why and in what respects they fail, in particular, what features of moral discourse are not adequately explained or accommodated by them. A positive theory which seeks to take full account of these and all other logical features of moral discourse is then developed in terms of a modified intuitionism of the kind outlined by W. D. Ross, 'good' being explained as the name of a consequential property, 'right' in terms of moral suitability, and moral obligations as consisting in our being constrained to act in certain ways by facts we apprehend to constitute moral reasons which constrain us so to act.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Meta-Ethics and Normative Ethics

  • Authors: H. J. McCloskey

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-9299-6

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1969

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-94-011-8544-8Published: 01 January 1969

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-011-9299-6Published: 06 December 2012

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 252

  • Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Ethics

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