Doing Ethics" Chapter One Terms

Ethics (or moral philosophy)

The philosophical study of morality

Morality

Beliefs concerning right and wrong, good and bad; they can include judgments, rules, principles and theories

Descriptive Ethics

The scientific study of moral beliefs and practices

Normative Ethics

The Study of principles, rules or theories that guide our actions and judgments

Metaethics

The study of meaning and logical structure of moral beliefs

Applied Ethics

The application of moral norms to specific moral issues or cases, particularly those in a profession such as medicine or law

Instrumentally or Extrinsically valuable

Valuable as a means to something else

Intrinsically valuable

Valuable in itself, for its own sake

Moral Value

Value in the sense of morally good or bad (ex: "She is a good person")

Nonmoral Value

Value of things in a nonmoral way (ex: "That is a good brand of car, it is very dependable")

Principle of Universalizability

The idea that a moral statement that applies in one situation must apply in all other situations that are relevantly similar

Principle of Impartiality

From the moral point of view, all persons are considered equal and should be treated accordingly

Divine Command Theory

Right actions are those that are willed by God