Like many others here, I subscribe to emotivism as well as utilitarianism.
That is inconsistent. Utilitarianism has to assume there’s a fact about the good; otherwise, what are you maximizing? Emotivism insists that there is not a fact about the good. For example, for an emotivist, “You should not have stolen the bread.” expresses the exact same factual content as “You stole the bread.” (On this view, presumably, indicating “mere disapproval” doesn’t count as factual information).
Sure. Then what I meant was that I’m an emotivist with a strong desire to see suffering reduced and pleasure increased in the manner that a utilitarian would advocate, and I feel a deep impulse to do what I can to help make that happen. I don’t think utilitarianism is “true” (I don’t know what that could possibly mean), but I want to see it carried out.
That is inconsistent. Utilitarianism has to assume there’s a fact about the good; otherwise, what are you maximizing? Emotivism insists that there is not a fact about the good. For example, for an emotivist, “You should not have stolen the bread.” expresses the exact same factual content as “You stole the bread.” (On this view, presumably, indicating “mere disapproval” doesn’t count as factual information).
Sure. Then what I meant was that I’m an emotivist with a strong desire to see suffering reduced and pleasure increased in the manner that a utilitarian would advocate, and I feel a deep impulse to do what I can to help make that happen. I don’t think utilitarianism is “true” (I don’t know what that could possibly mean), but I want to see it carried out.