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What is it?
Part of Axiology:
The study of value (a/moral)
Ethics is a major branch of axiology, the philosophical study of value. While axiology asks "what is valuable?" in a general sense—a field that also includes aesthetics (the study of beauty)—ethics focuses specifically on moral value.
It's the systematic study of what is right and wrong, just and unjust, exploring the principles that guide human behavior and decision-making.
Ethics
The study of morality utilizing philosophical methods.
'Morality' [from Latin "mores"] =
network of social customs and institutions.
In short, while morality is the set of principles or rules we live by, ethics is the thoughtful examination of those principles and their underlying value.
Often in the business of conceptualizing
our beliefs about moral judgments (i.e., right / wrong actions & good / bad persons / character / motivations).
Key Terms & Theories
As a part of axiology, ethics is typically divided into three main areas that explore value from different angles:
Normative Ethics (The 'Should'): This is the practical side, asking how we should behave and what moral standards we should follow. It's where we find the major frameworks for making moral decisions, including:
Consequentialism: Judges actions by their outcomes or consequences.
Deontology: Focuses on duties, rules, and obligations, regardless of the outcome.
Virtue Ethics: Emphasizes a person's moral character and virtues.
Feminist Care Ethics: Emphasizes nurturing and caring relationships and interdependence.
Meta-Ethics (The 'What'): This branch takes a step back to ask: What is morality itself? It explores the nature and origin of moral principles. It questions whether moral truths are objective and universal or subjective and culturally relative.
Applied Ethics (The 'How'): This is where ethical theory meets the real world. It tackles specific moral controversies in fields like medicine (bioethics), technology (AI ethics), business (business ethics), and the environment (environmental ethics).
What are the Core Questions?
Ethics seeks to answer some of the most fundamental questions about human existence. Common questions include:
The Good Life: What does it mean to live a good life? What is happiness, and how do we achieve it?
Right vs. Wrong: What makes an action morally right or wrong? Is it the intention, the action itself, or the result?
Justice: What is a just and fair society? How should resources and opportunities be distributed?
Moral Obligation: Do we have a moral responsibility to help others, even at a cost to ourselves?
Moral Truth: Are there universal moral truths that apply to everyone, everywhere, or is morality entirely relative to culture and individual belief?
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