Moore's Ethics

A critical survey of the full range of G. E. Moore's ethical thought.

A critical survey of the full range of G. E. Moore's ethical thought, including his rejection of naturalism in favor of the view that 'good' designates a simple indefinable property, his understanding of intrinsic value, his doctrine of organic wholes, and his critique of egoism and subjectivism.This Element critically surveys the full range of G. E. Moore's ethical thought, including: (1) his rejection of naturalism in favor of the view that 'good' designates a simple, indefinable property, which cannot be identified with or reduced to any other property; (2) his understanding of intrinsic value, his doctrine of organic wholes, his repudiation of hedonism, and his substantive account of the most important goods and evils; and (3) his critique of egoism and subjectivism and his elaboration of a non-hedonistic variant of utilitarianism that, among other things, creatively blends aspects of act- and rule-oriented versions of that theory.