Ethics: Theory and Practice

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.)