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    Hare's recognition that prescriptivism must preserve logi... — Carmelics
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    Supports→Russell's theory of how 'good' functions is radically incomplete

    Hare's recognition that prescriptivism must preserve logical entailments between moral sentences concedes precisely the inferential embedding problem Russell's theory cannot resolve.

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    Reasons For

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    • 1.Prescriptivism requires logical consistency: if 'X is wrong' entails 'do not X', moral sentences must preserve inferential structure like indicatives.
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    • 2.Russell's theory treats moral sentences as purely emotive, blocking valid inferences between them—e.g., from 'torture is wrong' to 'unnecessary torture is wrong'.
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    • 3.Hare's move to preserve entailment (via universal prescriptions) concedes that non-cognitive theories face structural problems indicative logic solves naturally.
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    Reasons Against

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    • 1.Prescriptive entailments differ logically from indicative ones: 'do X' and 'do Y' don't entail 'do X and Y' in the same way propositions do.
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    • 2.Hare's universalizability preserves practical consistency without admitting moral facts, so acknowledging logical structure doesn't undermine prescriptivism itself.
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    • 3.Russell may simply reject that 'torture is wrong' entails 'unnecessary torture is wrong'—the first expresses attitude; the second may require separate commitment.
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    Key Terms

    Hare(as the philosopher whose theory is being discussed)
    R.M. Hare was a 20th-century British philosopher who developed a theory about how moral language works, arguing that when we make moral judgments we're really giving prescriptions (like commands or recommendations) about how people should act.
    Inferential embedding problem(the specific problem Russell's theory cannot solve)
    A logical puzzle about whether moral statements can work the same way in complex sentences as they do in simple sentences (for example, in 'if X is good, then Y is good').
    Logical entailments(the logical connections between moral sentences)
    When one statement logically forces another statement to be true—like 'all dogs are animals' entails 'my dog is an animal.'
    Moral sentences(The statement discusses what moral sentences express)
    Statements about right and wrong, like 'honesty is good' or 'cruelty is bad.'
    Russell
    # Russell Russell most commonly refers to **Bertrand Russell**, a highly influential British philosopher, logician, and social critic (1872-1970) who fundamentally changed how we think about logic, language, and knowledge. He's famous for showing that common-sense reasoning can contain hidden contradictions and for arguing that philosophy should use the precision of mathematics to solve problems. Russell also became a prominent public intellectual who wrote about everything from religion to nuclear weapons, making him one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century.
    prescriptivism(Hare's metaethical theory)
    The view that moral judgments function as general commands, such that accepting a moral judgment directed at oneself involves an intention to act in accordance with it

    Connections

    2 topics

    Virtue Ethics1 linkedPhilosophy of Language1 linked

    Related

    Hare's move to preserve entailment (via universal prescriptions) concedes that n...Hare's universalizability preserves practical consistency without admitting mora...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    Prescriptive entailments differ logically from indicative ones: 'do X' and 'do Y...
    Prescriptivism requires logical consistency: if 'X is wrong' entails 'do not X',...
    +3 moreShow less
    Russell may simply reject that 'torture is wrong' entails 'unnecessary torture i...Russell's theory of how 'good' functions is radically incompleteRussell's theory treats moral sentences as purely emotive, blocking valid infere...