Introduction

1. What is metaethics and how does it differ from applied and normative ethics?

2. What questions are metaethicists interested in?

3. Do you think that some metaethical questions are more important than others? If so, which?

4. When developing a metaethical theory, how much infl uence should be given to the way ordinary people think and talk?

5. Do you think that metaethics can have an impact on normative or applied ethics?

6. What, if any, might be the benefi ts of studying metaethics?

The open question argument

1. Can we define “good”?

2. What would be your definition of “good”?

3. What is the naturalistic fallacy, and how does it relate to the open question argument?

4. What is the difference between analytic and synthetic definitions?

5. Does claiming that something is good always motivate us?

6. Could the open question argument be used in areas other than ethics?

Emotivism

1. What is the relationship between science and philosophy?

2. What is the verification principle?

3. What is the difference between cognitivism and non-cognitivism?

4. Are there any genuine moral disagreements?

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of emotivism?

6. What is the difference between emotivism, subjectivism and relativism?

7. Does the idea of a moral feeling make sense?

8. Can you be an emotivist in other areas, such as art or music? If so, what ight such an account look like?