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Lecture Notes 10-13

This document outlines several frameworks and theories in ethics. It discusses meta-ethics, which studies the nature of morality, normative ethics, which examines how people ought to act, and applied ethics, which philosophically examines specific moral issues. Within these areas, it describes theories such as deontology, teleology, virtue ethics, moral universalism, relativism, empiricism, rationalism, and intuitionism. It also provides examples of applied ethics subfields like bioethics, environmental ethics, and business ethics.

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Jerica Jaja April
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40 views

Lecture Notes 10-13

This document outlines several frameworks and theories in ethics. It discusses meta-ethics, which studies the nature of morality, normative ethics, which examines how people ought to act, and applied ethics, which philosophically examines specific moral issues. Within these areas, it describes theories such as deontology, teleology, virtue ethics, moral universalism, relativism, empiricism, rationalism, and intuitionism. It also provides examples of applied ethics subfields like bioethics, environmental ethics, and business ethics.

Uploaded by

Jerica Jaja April
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Basic Theories as

Frameworks in Ethics
Framework
 can be defines as “a basic structure underlying a system
or concept”

In Ethics
 refers to “a set of assumptions, concepts, values and
practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality.

➢ frameworks and principles in ethics dictate one’s moral


disposition or the way a person resolves moral dilemmas.
3 General Areas:

1. Meta-Ethics
2. Normative Ethics
3. Applied Ethics
Meta-Ethics
➢ the branch of ethics that studies the
nature of morality
➢ talks about the meaning, reference
and truth values of moral
judgements
➢ explains what goodness and
wickedness mean and how we
know about them
Classified semantically as :
cognitivitist or non-cognitivitist

Classified substantially as:


universalist or relativist

Classifiedepistemologically as:
empiricist, rationalist and intuitionist
COGNITIVITIST OR NON-COGNITIVITIST
Cognitivism
➢ states that the moral judgements convey propositions,
that is, they are ‘truth bearers’ or they are either true
or false
➢ Most ethical theories are cognitivist as they contend
that right and wrong are matters of fact.

Most famous forms of cognitive ethics:


1. Moral realism
2. Ethical Subjectivism
Moral Realism
➢ claims that the existence of moral facts and the
truth (or falsity) of moral judgements are
independent of people’s thoughts and
perceptions

Ethical Subjectivism
➢ on the other hand, holds that the truth of ethical

propositions are dependent on the attitudes or


standards of a person or a group of persons
➢ Subjectivism is obviously contrary to moral realism
COGNITIVITIST OR NON-
COGNITIVITIST
Non-cognitivism
➢ denies that the moral judgements are
either true or false
➢ It claims that ethical sentences do not
convey authentic propositions, hence are
neither true nor false
Emotivism
➢ the most popular form of non –cognivist theory

➢ It
submits that the moral judgements are mere
expressions of our emotions and feelings

➢ Like
exclamatory sentences, ethical sentences
cannot be said to be either true or false
according to the theory
UNIVERSALIST OR RELATIVIST

Moral Universalism
➢ theorizes that moral facts and principles
apply to everybody in all places
➢ also called “moral objectivism”
➢ believing that some behaviors are simply
wrong
➢ if something is right for one, then it is also right
for another
UNIVERSALIST OR RELATIVIST
Moral Relativism
➢ Submits that different moral facts and
principles may apply to different persons
or groups of individuals
➢ Alsomaintains that ethical standards also
change over time even in the same
culture
➢ Holds
that all moral norms are equally true
and morals are mere preferences
Empiricist, Rationalist, Intuitionist

Moral Empiricism
➢a meta-ethical stance which states
that moral facts are known through
observation and experience
➢ An extension of “empiricism”
Empiricist, Rationalist, Intuitionist

Moral Rationalism
➢ Contendsthat moral facts and principles
are knowable a prion, that is, by reason
alone and without reference to
experience
Empiricist, Rationalist, Intuitionist

Moral Intuitionism
➢ submits the moral truths are
knowable by intuition, that is, by
immediate instinctive knowledge
without reference to any
evidence
Normative Ethics
 the branch of ethics that studies how man
ought to act, morally speaking
 It examines ethical norms, that is, those
guidelines about what is right, worthwhile ,
virtuous, or just
 Evaluates standards for the rightness and
wrongness of actions and determines a
moral course of action
 Prescriptive in nature, it addresses specific
moral questions about what we should do
or believe

Categorized into three kinds:


1. Deontology
2. Teleology
3. Virtue Ethics
Deontology
➢ An ethical system that bases
morality on independent moral
rules or duties
➢ the term came from the Greek
word “deon”, which means duty
or obligations
Teleology
➢ Refersto moral system that determines the
moral value of actions by their outcomes
or results
➢ Greek word “telos” which means “end”
➢ Takesinto account the end of the action
as the exclusive considerations of its
morality

➢ Deems an action as morally right if its


favorable consequences are greater than
its adverse outcomes
Virtue Ethics
 Places emphasis on developing good
habits of character (kindness & generosity,
and avoiding bad character traits, or
vices, such as greed or hatred)
 Virtue-based theories give importance to
moral education which molds individuals
to habitually act in a virtuous manner
Applied Ethics

➢ philosophically examines specific,


controversial moral issues
➢ It attempts to determine the ethically
correct course of actions in specific
realms of human action
Classified into various subfields
1. Bioethics
2. Environmental ethics
3. Business ethics
4. Sexual ethics
5. Social ethics
Bioethics
➢ This
concerns ethical issues pertaining to life,
biomedical researches, medicines, health care,
and medical profession.

Environmental
➢ it
deals with moral issues concerning nature,
ecosystem, and its nonhuman contents
Business Ethics
 Itexamines moral principles concerning
business environment which involves issues
about corporate practices, policies,
business behaviors, and the conducts and
relationship of individuals in the
organizations
 Investigatesethical controversies such as
those about the social responsibility of
businesses, employee rights, harassment,
labor unions, misleading advertising, job
discrimination and whistle blowing
Sexual Ethics
Studies moral issues about
sexuality and human sexual
behavior
Examines topics like
homosexuality, lesbianism,
polygamy, premarital sex, marital
infidelity
Social Ethics
Deals with what is right for a
society to do and how it should as
a whole life
Focus is on what may be deemed
as proper behavior for people as
a whole
 Some of the issues under this are those
about racial discrimination, death penalty,
nuclear weapon production and gun
control

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