Health Sciences 2610F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Meta-Ethics, Anti-Realism, Moral Authority
10 Mar 2020
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Lecture 1 - ethical theories and thinking part i. Meta ethics = the fundamental beliefs and / or knowledge that contextualize your ethical beliefs. Meta-ethics = pure theory about right and wrong. Ethics = deciding what is right / wrong in situations. Talking about ethics - not about ethical issues (theory, not application) Takes place outside" ethics - before actual ethical discussion about a subject can begin. Foundations should have influence on how you judge situations, and then how you act upon them. Who decided that honesty was better than dishonesty and who is that person. Realism = universal truth (facts) exist outside of the mind (the truth is real - hence realism ) Anti-realism = denies that universal truth exists. Truth is a human intervention that changes through historical contingencies. Your meta-ethical perspective helps guide your ethical beliefs and actions. Example: killing other people is wrong, but there is exceptions such as self-defence.
