good-reasons theory

good-reasons theory

      in American and British metaethics, an approach that tries to establish the validity or objectivity of moral judgments by examining the modes of reasoning used to support them. The approach first appeared in An Examination of the Place of Reason in Ethics (1950) by Stephen Toulmin (Toulmin, Stephen Edelston), a British philosopher of science and ethicist. In general, the approach represents a reaction against the Positivism of the 1930s and '40s, which, in its theory that moral terms have only emotive meaning, tended to support ethical relativism, subjectivism, and skepticism. It also represents the constructive influence of one of the founding fathers of linguistic analysis, Ludwig Wittgenstein, who in his later philosophy rejected all interpretations of meaning and language that reduce all significant discourse to categorical statements, proposing instead that the philosophical task is to recognize and describe different “language games,” or usages of language, as they actually manifest different forms of life. The good-reasons philosophers thus began to examine normative discourse, in general, and moral discourse, in particular, as a whole rather than exploring only the uniquely moral terms embedded in that discourse. This examination led to an appreciation of the complexity of the relationships between the evaluative and the descriptive aspects of moral discourse and, in particular, to a consideration of the logical connections between them.

      Although these good-reasons moralists, such as Henry David Aiken, Kurt Baier, Kai Nielsen, John Rawls, Marcus G. Singer, Paul W. Taylor, Georg Henrik von Wright, and Geoffrey James Warnock, manifest a wide range of theories on normative issues, they generally agree that the primary function of moral utterances is practical—i.e., directive of action—rather than emotive and expressive. People give reasons, however, for what they say ought to be done, and the giving of these reasons follows a pattern; i.e., it is a rule-governed activity, involving elements both of formal logical consistency and of reference to facts. The good-reasons approach thus diverges from earlier efforts, which sought to establish the objectivity of morals by determining the cognitive content of unique moral terms such as good and right. The good-reasons approach shows some kinship with naturalist views in its agreement that moral reasoning does in some way ground values in facts, the “ought” in the “is,” and that there are limits to what will count as good reasons and thus as justified, valid, objective moral claims—limits which reflect standards of consistency that are logical and can be made universal and which also reflect criteria of the relevancy of facts, of impartiality of attitude, and of appropriate sensitivity.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Good reasons approach — The Good Reasons approach is a meta ethical theory that states simply that ethical conduct is justified if the actor has good reasons for that conduct. The Good Reasons approach is not opposed to ethical theory per se , but is antithetical to… …   Wikipedia

  • Theory of justification — is a part of epistemology that attempts to understand the justification of propositions and beliefs. Epistemologists are concerned with various epistemic features of belief, which include the ideas of justification, warrant, rationality, and… …   Wikipedia

  • Theory of Knowledge (IB course) — Theory of Knowledge (ToK) is a course taken by all International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme students. This course discusses how the student is able to know something. The student is described as an actor of knowledge who attempts to find… …   Wikipedia

  • Reasons and Persons — Infobox Book name = Reasons and Persons title orig = translator = image caption = author = Derek Parfit illustrator = cover artist = country = USA language = English series = subject = philosophy, ethics, rationality, personal identity genre =… …   Wikipedia

  • Theory of the firm — The theory of the firm consists of a number of economic theories that describe the nature of the firm, company, or corporation, including its existence, behavior, structure, and relationship to the market.[1] Contents 1 Overview 2 Background …   Wikipedia

  • Theory of camouflage — The theoretical basis for camouflage is the underlying methodology used in by camouflage, whether natural or man made. The definition of camouflage involves concealment and obscurity , whether applied to the natural coloration of animals, or the… …   Wikipedia

  • Argumentation theory — Argumentation theory, or argumentation, embraces the arts and sciences of civil debate, dialogue, conversation, and persuasion; studying rules of inference, logic, and procedural rules in both artificial and real world settings. Argumentation is… …   Wikipedia

  • Narrative theory — Narrative theory, or narratology, is the study of narrative or story, written or otherwise. The founder of narrative theory is often held to be Aristotle, whose study of plot in drama gave rise to the study of narrative as an art form, known as… …   Wikipedia

  • Expectancy-value theory — Introduction Expectancy value theory was originally created in order to explain and predict individual s attitudes toward objects and actions. Originally the work of psychologist Martin Fishbein, the theory states that attitudes are developed and …   Wikipedia

  • The Theory of Communicative Action — is a book by Jürgen Habermas published in 1981 in two volumes, the first subtitled Reason and the Rationalization of Society ( Handlungsrationalität und gesellschaftliche Rationalisierung ) and the second, Lifeworld and System: A Critique of… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”