Philosophy
the love of wisdom
Epistemology
the study of knowledge, belief, truth, falsity, certainty, and perception
Metaphysics
the study of what exists, the nature of what exists, cause and effect, freedom, and determinism
Ethics
the study of morality and what is good, bad, right, and wrong human conduct and behavior in a moral sense
Aesthetics
the study of values in art or beauty and what is good, bad, right, or wrong in art and what constitutes the beautiful and nonbeautiful in our lives
Logic
the study of argument and the principles of correct reasoning
Moral
what is good or right
Immoral
what is bad or wrong
Amoral
having no moral sense or being indifferent to right and wrong
Nonmoral
out of the realm of morality
Two approaches to the study of morality:
scientific (or descriptive), and philosophical
The scientific approach to morality is...
used in the social sciences and is concerned with how human beings do, in fact, behave. (Ex. Human beings often act in their own self-interest.)
Philosophical approach is divided into two categories:
1. The normative (or prescriptive), concerned with what "should" be or what people "ought to" do. (Ex. Human beings ought to act in their own self-interest.)
2. A second category concerned with value judgements. (Ex. "Barbara is a morally good person.")
Metaethics, or analytic ethics, is analytic in two ways:
a) It analyzes ethical language.
b) It analyzes the rational foundations of ethical systems or of the logic and reasoning of various ethicists.
Religious morality is concerned with human beings in relationship to...
a supernatural being or being.
Morality and nature are concerned with human beings in relationship to...
nature.
Individual morality is concerned with human beings in relationship to...
themselves.
Social morality* is concerned with human beings in relationship to...
other human beings. (*This is the most important category of all.)