Ethics/Moral Philosophy
ethics is the branch of philosophy concerned with: - - conduct and character
- the systematic study of principles, standards, and methods for distinguishing right from wrong, good
from bad, and better from worse
-the question of proper goals, ideals, and values of life and with the principles for guiding conduct
- it aims to determine the meaning and the basis of judgements of morality and value
the task of moral philosophy is to answer questions such as (3) - - What does it mean to say something
is right or good?
- What makes right actions right?
- How can disputes about moral questions be resolved?
Ethical theory - a theory which tries to elucidate (among other things) the distinction between
- right and wrong (actions, choices, decisions, policies)
- good and bad (things, goals, states of affair)
- praiseworthy and blameworthy
- virtuous and vicious
- good and evil
criteria for good ethical theory (6) - 1. clarification
2. internal consistency
3. clarity
4. simplicity
5. enlightenment
6. completeness
clarification - explanatory power
, internal consistency - absence of self-contradiction
simplicity - a) theoretical: fewer and/or easier to understand basic concepts (a virtue of utilitarianism)
b) requires less data/info to apply
(a vice of utilitarianism-much data required)
enlightenment - guidance for solving moral problems
interconnections btwn ethics and metaphysics - is there, in the end, and real difference between right
and wrong?
interconnections btwn ethics and epistemology - if there is a difference between right and wrong, can
we ever know what it is?
Ethics (moral theory) vs Axiology (value theory) - some make this distinction on the ground that there
are important differences between moral judgments and evaluations
however others do not think the distinction important, regarding both as essentially different from
statements of fact and logical truth
moral judgements - in which something is judged right, wrong, permissible, or supererogatory
evaluations - in which something is assessed as good or bad
intrinsic value - a thing is claimed to be valuable (ie good) in and of itself
extrinsic value - a thing is claimed to be valuable (ie good) in virtue of it relation to something else
normative ethics - - aims to set down or give rules, directions, etc
ethics is the branch of philosophy concerned with: - - conduct and character
- the systematic study of principles, standards, and methods for distinguishing right from wrong, good
from bad, and better from worse
-the question of proper goals, ideals, and values of life and with the principles for guiding conduct
- it aims to determine the meaning and the basis of judgements of morality and value
the task of moral philosophy is to answer questions such as (3) - - What does it mean to say something
is right or good?
- What makes right actions right?
- How can disputes about moral questions be resolved?
Ethical theory - a theory which tries to elucidate (among other things) the distinction between
- right and wrong (actions, choices, decisions, policies)
- good and bad (things, goals, states of affair)
- praiseworthy and blameworthy
- virtuous and vicious
- good and evil
criteria for good ethical theory (6) - 1. clarification
2. internal consistency
3. clarity
4. simplicity
5. enlightenment
6. completeness
clarification - explanatory power
, internal consistency - absence of self-contradiction
simplicity - a) theoretical: fewer and/or easier to understand basic concepts (a virtue of utilitarianism)
b) requires less data/info to apply
(a vice of utilitarianism-much data required)
enlightenment - guidance for solving moral problems
interconnections btwn ethics and metaphysics - is there, in the end, and real difference between right
and wrong?
interconnections btwn ethics and epistemology - if there is a difference between right and wrong, can
we ever know what it is?
Ethics (moral theory) vs Axiology (value theory) - some make this distinction on the ground that there
are important differences between moral judgments and evaluations
however others do not think the distinction important, regarding both as essentially different from
statements of fact and logical truth
moral judgements - in which something is judged right, wrong, permissible, or supererogatory
evaluations - in which something is assessed as good or bad
intrinsic value - a thing is claimed to be valuable (ie good) in and of itself
extrinsic value - a thing is claimed to be valuable (ie good) in virtue of it relation to something else
normative ethics - - aims to set down or give rules, directions, etc
