Moore 's Normative Ethics Study

In1903,Moore published "ethics principle" had an epoch-making significance in contemporary western ethics history,opening the ethics of contemporary British meta-ethics in one hundred development course. About Moore’s thought of metaethics, especially about his "open issues proof" research, domestic scholars have further study. But the study of his normative ethics thought is not good enough. Especially, his "open issues proof" is seen as a naturalistic, however his normative ethics is viewed as a kind of consequentialism or utilitarianism. The consequentialism or utilitarianism is often regarded as a kind of theory of naturalism. Therefore, how to understand the effect of the Moore’s normative ethics thoughts and his thoughts of the relationship with metaethics, worthy of our careful study.This article introduces Moore thought on the basis of the historical background.Firstly, it elaborates Moore’s criticism of the Mill and Kant’s normative ethics thought.He thought, Mill’s problem is to happiness as the only good, and Kant’s problem is to objectively should exist and what will that confuse sth with sth else.On this basis, he expounded the main ideas of his own normative ethics, namely his impersonal effect.Secondly, his normative ethics theories are analyzed the gain and loss in this paper, and discusses his ideas of metaethics and normative ethics thought relationship. This paper argues that his metaethics determined by the nature of good and his effect or utilitarianism seemingly contradictory and conflict, through a reasonable explanation, it can be eliminated.According to Moore’s thought, the nature of goodness can be attached to the natural attributes of the object or effect, but this does not mean that the former is equal to the latter. The former cannot measure, however, the latter is can measure.Moore was opposed to using natural attribute definition of naturalism, but it is not opposed to by can measure the effect (good attached to this effect) to determine the act or thing shall or not.