 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
Although, on the above theory, ethics contains statements which are true or false, and not merely optative or imperative, its basis is still one of emotion and feeling, the emotion of approval and the feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction, the former being involved in the definition of “right” and “wrong”, the latter in that of “intrinsic value”. And the appeal upon which we depend for the acceptance of our ethical theory is not the appeal to the facts of perception, but to the emotions and feelings which have given rise to the concepts of “right” and “wrong”, “good” and “bad”.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, (1954), chapter 9：Is there ethical knowledge ?
More info.:https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-0915.htm
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Emotions and feelings are important in ethics, but emotions and feelings are differ from nation to nation and from individual to individual. Therefore, objective ethical theories, which are not influenced by emotions, have been explored so far. However,‘its foundations remain based on emotion or feeling, (i.e.) the emotion of approval or the feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction (or both)’. In other words, our definitions of 'right' and 'wrong' include our emotional factors and cannot be considered objective. Is an objective definition possible? Further exploration continues.
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