Research On Hare's Moral Theory

Hare is not only a renowned ethicist but also an outstanding representative of the analytical philosophy in the third phases which succeeds intuitionism and emotionalism. As is known to all, difficulties arise when meta-ethics evolves to emotionalism. Hare bases his study on the fruit of intuitionism and emotionalism, especially on the sublation of emotionalism. He makes in-depth research of moral language, moral judgement, moral order, moral words, moral thinking and preference-utilitarianism and deontology. In addition, he develops and reforms modern western meta-ethics, which symbols a new phase of modern western meta-ethics.Hare holds the view that ethics is the logic research of ethic language. He is opposed to the irrational inclination of intuitionism; instead, he believes that ethics should be rational. Meanwhile, he disapproves of the viewpoint which identifies ethics with the expression of human emotion or attitude, for ethics may lose its scientific characteristics. Therefore he insists that ethics should take ethic language as its object of research. The thesis makes a research on his ethics in the following parts:Part 1 reveals the theoretical origin of Hare's theory by explanation of Moore's ethicist intuitionism, Ross's obligational intuitionism, Ayer,Stevenson's emotionalism and the sublation of the theories above. Part 2 presents the main content of Hare's ethics through detailed analysis of ethic language, ethic judgement, ethic order, ethic words, ethic thinking and prejudiced utilitarianism and theory on obligation. Part 3 presents the major characteristics of Hare's ethics including synthesis, consequences principle, rationalism, prescriptivism, etc. Part 4 focuses on the historical significance of Hare's ethics and analyses the limitations of Hare's ethics. Part 5 discusses the enlightenment of Hare's thought on us, especially on the research field, research method, object and scope of ethics.