The Objectivity of Moral Judgments By G. E Moore based on Ethics Book

1. Chapter six
THE OBJECTIVITY OF MORAL
JUDGMENTS BY G. E. MOORE
Jonathan - 191000080

2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
About the author...
G. E. Moore was a Fellow of the British Academy, Professor of
Mental Philosophy and Logic at Trinity College, he became well
known for his advocacy of common sense concepts, his contributions
to ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics, and his exceptional
personality and the editor of the influential journal Mind

3. What is Moral Judgments ?
Moral judgment is a psychological construct that characterizes the
process of how a person decides that one set of actions in a
particular situation is morally right and another set of actions is
wrong. (Rest, Thoma, & Edwards, 1997).

4. Is Ethics Based on Feelings?
• Moore states that some people believe that when they use the terms "right" and
"wrong" they are stating their feelings toward the actions at issue.
• Since different persons have different feelings as to the rightness or wrongness
of actions, the conclusion is often supposed that the same action is both right
and wrong.
• Every time we declare that the action is right or wrong, we must only make a
statement about someone's feelings towards the action. This is a view that
seems very commonly held in some form or another.
• one of the main reasons why this is held is, because many people find it difficult
to see what else we might mean by the words "right" and "wrong," unless there
are some thoughts or thoughts, feelings, or other mental attitudes, towards the
actions on it

5. Example (Ratna Sarumpaet)
Ratna Sarumpaet
has committed
defamation and
hoaxes so that she
is a suspect of
defamation and
hoax spreaders
(https://nasional.kompas.com/re
ad/2018/10/04/09114291/kronol
ogi-drama-kebohongan-ratna-
sarumpaet?page=all)

6. Is Ethics Based on What Society Thinks?
• Many people have such a strong disposition to believe that when we
judge an action to be right or wrong we must be merely making an
assertion about the feelings of some man of set of men when he asserts
an action to be right or wrong, is merely asserting that a certain feeling
is generally felt towards actions of that class by most of the members of
the society to which he/she belongs.
• When we assert an action to be right, we are merely asserting that it is
generally approved in the society to which we belong, it follows, of
course, that if it is generally approved by my society, my assertion is
true, and the action really is right. But as we say, it seems undeniable,
that some actions which are generally approved in my society, will have
been disapproved or will still be disapproved in other societies.

7. Is Ethics Sociologically Based?
• When our ancestors did have different feelings towards different actions, being
pleased with some and displeased with others, but when they did not, as yet,
judge any actions to be right or wrong; and that it was only because they
transmitted these feelings, more or less modified, to their descendants, that
those descendants at some later stage, began to make judgements of right and
wrong; so that, in a sense, our moral judgments were developed out of mere
feelings
• And hence the theory that moral judgments originated in feelings does not, in
fact, lend any support at all to the theory that now, as developed, they can
only be judgments about feelings.
• if our moral judgements were developed out of feeling—if this was their origin—
they must still at this moment be somehow concerned with feelings: that the
developed product must resemble the germ out of which it was developed in
this particular respect.

8. Is Ethics Sociologically Based?
• Moore’s conclude, then that the theory that our judgments of right
and wrong are merely judgments about somebody’s feeling is quite
untenable in any of the forms in which it will lead to the
conclusion that one and the same action is often both right and
wrong.

9. Example
The moment of feeling when
planting the plant in forest with
proper place and time to make
a respect from others
(https://www.mongabay.co.id/2018/09/07/made-in-siberut-
elegi-kedaulatan-pangan-di-mentawai/)

10. Is Ethics Based on What People
Think?
• Asserting that when we judge an action to be right or wrong what
we are asserting is merely that somebody or other thinks it to be
right or wrong  theory asserted that our moral judgements are
merely judgements about somebody’s feelings, this one asserts
that they are merely judgments about somebody’s thoughts or
opinions.
• Moore says that it may well be true that moral judgments
developed from feelings.
• It is a fallacy to suppose that because of this origin, moral
judgments are judgments about feelings.

11. References:
• Ethics Book by Lee Archie & John G. Archie , 2003. Copyright ©
2003 by Lee Archie; John G. Archie
• https://www.mongabay.co.id/2018/09/07/made-in-siberut-elegi-
kedaulatan-pangan-di-mentawai/
• https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2018/10/04/09114291/kronol
ogi-drama-kebohongan-ratna-sarumpaet?page=all

12. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION