Description of emotivism - Research Paper Example

Description of EmotivismAccording to Vlach, “emotivism is a philosophical theory in the realm of ethics. It is the view that all ethical statements are expressions of emotion and, thus, are meaningless” (Vlach, 2013). For instance, he argues that the statement “Abortion is Wrong” is an ethical statement that defines the feeling of an individual to a certain thing or issue. With emotivism, ethical statements are considered persuasive elements; they are used in convincing an individual to agree with a certain opinion.

Therefore, “emotivism can as well be referred to as the Boo/Hooray theory” (Vlach 2013). That is, when you disagree with an ethical opinion you say “Boo”, and when you agree with it you say “Hooray” (Vlach, 2013). Critics of emotivism have however associated it with some ethical challenges. For instance, they argue that there is high possibility of losing the meaning of ethics if this perspective is taken gravely. They also claim that acceptance of the views generated by this theory can result to serious ethical issues.

Therefore, emotivism does not grant individuals with an objective way of analyzing ethical issues. The shallow accounts of some ethical statements are also as a result of emotivism theory. For instance, a person may agree that there exists a tip on an iceberg but disagree on what lies below it. This is because this theory does not grant an individual to go beyond what can be verified. According to it, thing that cannot be verified is meaningless. Thus, emotivism can as well be seen as a superficial element of ethics.

Despite the success of emotivism in explaining the occurrence of some things in the society, defenders of religious ethics consider it inadequate and reductionist. According to them, no ethical view generated from subjective feelings can manage to make them perceive themselves valueless or reduced. They further argue that the perception that something is good or wrong goes beyond what emotivism theory explains. From this, “it is evident that emotivism do not recognize peculiar nature of ethical convictions” (Keeney, 2012).

Instead, it reduces them to expressional feelings without taking into consideration about their origin. In considering something to be wrong or right, this theory reduces morality to personal feelings. Thus, this theory is unethical because it does not put into consideration all moral perspectives in determining the fate of an action or an occurrence. Emotivism can also be perceived as prescriptivism. This is evidenced by how an individual manages to make other people agree with him or her that something is right or wrong without giving them a chance of proving it otherwise.

For instance, when somebody says that ‘stealing is bad’ he or she is not only expressing his feelings, but also justifying on the behalf of others that stealing is wrong. In concluding that stealing is wrong, emotivism overlooks two crucial things. First, there must be something that underlies the feeling an individual expresses in making other people agree with him on the character of other people; human feelings have rational or cognitive basis. Secondly, it is not good for an individual to apply an obligation on others on the basis of his own feelings.

If the raised opinion is a fact, then it needs not to be converted into an obligation so as to meet personal feelings. In conclusion, emotivism is a philosophical theory that generates from the feelings of individuals about the occurrence of things in the society. It is highly practiced in our societies; most individuals apply obligations on others so as to concur with their own feelings about something. ReferencesKeeney, P. (2012). Liberalism, Communitarianism and Education: Reclaiming Liberal Education.

Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Retrieved from http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=lJS4Sx93DZsC&pg=PP4&dq=Liberalism,+Commun itarianism+and+Education:+Reclaiming+Liberal+%09Education.Vlach, M. (2013). Theological Studies. Retrieved from http://www.theologicalstudies.org/resource-library/philosophy-dictionary/111- empedocles-490-430-bc