Moore and Intuitionism
Philosopher G.E. Moore argued that 'good' is a simple, indefinable, non-natural property. Good cannot be reduced to natural properties (pleasure, happiness); it's apprehended through moral intuition. Moore's Open Question Argument challenged naturalistic definitions of goodness.
Real World
When psychologists claim that 'good' simply means 'what increases wellbeing,' Moore would challenge them with his Open Question Argument: it still makes sense to ask 'But is increased wellbeing actually good?' — proving 'good' cannot be reduced to any natural property.
Exam Focus
Reproduce the Open Question Argument as a logical sequence: state the naturalist definition, apply it, show the question remains open — vague references to it will lose marks.
How well did you know this?