Emotivism in Ethics: Historical Background up to the Postmodern Age

Document Type : Research Article

Author

• Abulfaḍl Ghaffārī

Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

10.22067/jfiqh.2020.61508.0

Abstract

Acquaintance with philosophical schools in ethics is the most important step for dealing with the discourse on philosophy of ethics. Emotivism is among the most significant ethical schools which is as ancient and widespread as history itself. We can enumerate eminent thinkers, philosophers, poets, and psychologists who have presented interesting and controversial viewpoints in this field. Confucius, Buddha, Lao Tze (Laotse), David Hume, Adam Smith, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Arthur Schopenhauer, Alfred Jules Ayer, Carole Gilligan, and Nell Noddings, are the eminent figures introduced in this article. Convergence of opinions among the above thinkers may be observed in concepts utilized by them such as sympathy, empathy, altruism, benevolence, compassion, responsibility, and care. Among the above concepts, “care” has been frequently emphasized in modern philosophical and psychological texts by contemporary psychologists and philosophers. The care or feeling of responsibility approach is one of several major contemporary approaches in philosophy of ethics and ethical education which can be classified as among theories of emotivism. Feminism, as one of the obvious manifestations of postmodern era, is regarded as among the staunchest advocates of this approach. Furthermore, pragmatic naturalism can also be viewed as another philosophical basis for this approach.

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