Ethical Language and Meta-Ethics

Meta-ethics is the branch of moral philosophy that asks questions not about what is right or wrong, but about the nature, meaning, and status of moral claims themselves. When someone says "murder is wrong," what kind of statement are they making? Are they stating a fact, expressing a feeling, or issuing a command? Can moral statements be true or false? These are the central questions of meta-ethics, and they are essential for the AQA A-Level Religious Studies specification.

Key Definition: Meta-ethics is the study of the meaning, nature, and justification of moral language and moral judgements. It asks what we mean when we say something is "good" or "wrong," rather than which specific actions are good or wrong.

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The Central Divide: Cognitivism vs Non-Cognitivism

The most fundamental distinction in meta-ethics is between cognitivism and non-cognitivism.

Position	Key Claim	Moral Statements Are...	Truth Value
Cognitivism	Moral statements express beliefs about the world	Propositions that can be true or false	Yes
Non-cognitivism	Moral statements do not express beliefs	Expressions of emotion, attitude, or prescription	No

Cognitivism