noncognitivism
C2Academic, technical
Definition
Meaning
A metaethical theory that ethical sentences do not express propositions (statements that can be true or false) and are therefore not capable of being true or false.
A view in the philosophy of language and ethics which holds that moral statements are not descriptive claims about the world but rather express emotions, commands, or attitudes.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Noncognitivism is contrasted with cognitivism in moral philosophy. It is often associated with emotivism, prescriptivism, and expressivism.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning. The word is identical in spelling and use across both varieties.
Connotations
None; the term is purely technical.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both dialects, confined to philosophical discourse. No notable frequency disparity.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Noncognitivism argues that...According to noncognitivism,...One objection to noncognitivism is...Noncognitivism holds the view that...A proponent of noncognitivism might say...In noncognitivism, moral judgements are...Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Noncognitivism is a tough pill to swallow for realists.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Never used.
Academic
Primarily used in philosophy, ethics, and metaethics texts and discussions.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
Used precisely in philosophical and metaethical discourse.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Noncognitivism has been heavily criticised in recent years.
American English
- Many philosophers no longer noncognitivism in its pure form.
adverb
British English
- He argued noncognitivistically about moral claims.
American English
- She interpreted the statement noncognitivistly.
adjective
British English
- He took a noncognitivist stance on the issue.
American English
- The noncognitivist approach faced significant challenges.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Noncognitivism is a complex idea from philosophy.
- Philosophers disagree about whether noncognitivism is correct.
- Noncognitivism posits that ethical statements are expressions of feeling rather than factual claims.
- A central criticism of noncognitivism is its difficulty in accounting for moral reasoning and argument.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think NON-COGNITIVE-ISM: It's a theory that says moral statements are NOT cognitive (i.e., not truth-apt thoughts).
Conceptual Metaphor
Moral language as an exclamation (like 'Boo!' or 'Hooray!'), not as a picture of the world.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calques like 'некогнитивизм'. While understood, the standard philosophical translation is 'нэкогитивизм' or, more descriptively, 'эмотивизм'/'экспрессивизм'. The concept may not map neatly to one Russian word.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'non-cognivitism' or 'noncognativism'.
- Confusing with 'non-cognitive' in psychology.
- Using it to refer to any anti-realist position, which is too broad.
Practice
Quiz
Noncognitivism is most closely associated with which field?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Moral relativism is a form of cognitivism (it claims moral statements are true or false relative to a culture/individual). Noncognitivism denies moral statements are truth-apt at all.
A.J. Ayer (emotivism), R.M. Hare (prescriptivism), and Simon Blackburn (quasi-realism) are key figures associated with noncognitivist theories.
The statement 'Stealing is wrong' does not describe a fact but expresses the speaker's disapproval of stealing, analogous to saying 'Stealing, boo!'
Cognitivism, which holds that moral statements do express propositions and can be true or false.