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Basic Theories As Frameworks in Ethics

The document discusses several key concepts in meta-ethics including cognitivism vs non-cognitivism, moral realism vs ethical subjectivism, universalism vs relativism, empiricism vs rationalism vs intuitionism. It also covers normative ethics including deontology, teleology, virtue ethics and applied ethics. Specific ethical theories discussed include virtue ethics, Aristotle's ethics focusing on eudaimonia, telos and virtues, and Thomas Aquinas' ethics focusing on natural law.

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Jenelyn De Leon Tamboon
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14 views

Basic Theories As Frameworks in Ethics

The document discusses several key concepts in meta-ethics including cognitivism vs non-cognitivism, moral realism vs ethical subjectivism, universalism vs relativism, empiricism vs rationalism vs intuitionism. It also covers normative ethics including deontology, teleology, virtue ethics and applied ethics. Specific ethical theories discussed include virtue ethics, Aristotle's ethics focusing on eudaimonia, telos and virtues, and Thomas Aquinas' ethics focusing on natural law.

Uploaded by

Jenelyn De Leon Tamboon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Basic

Theories as
Frameworks
in Ethics
Meta - Ethics
Meta-ethics is the branch of ethics that studies the nature of
morality. As such, it talks about the meaning, reference, and
truth values of moral judgments. It also explains what goodness
and wickedness mean and how we know about them. Studying
the methods for choosing ethical principles and doing
normative ethics can be said to be part of this more basic
branch of moral philosophy.
Cognitivism vs
Non-cognitivism
Cognitivism - states that moral judgments 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. The most famous forms of cognitive ethics are the moral
realism and the ethical subjectivism.

Moral realism claims that the existence of moral facts and the truth (or falsity) of moral
judgments are independent of people's thoughts and perceptions.

Ethical subjectivism, on the other hand, holds that the truth (or falsity) of ethical propositions are
dependent on the attitudes or standards of a person or group of persons.
Non- denies that moral judgments are either true or false. It claims that ethical sentences do
cognitivism not convey authentic propositions, hence are neither true nor false.

Emotivism is the most popular form of non-cognitivist theory. It submits that moral judgments
are mere expressions of our emotions and feelings.
Universalism vs. Relativism

· Moral universalism theorizes that moral facts and principles apply to everybody in all places. Also called
'moral objectivism,' it claims that a universal ethic exists and that this applies to all similarly situated persons,
regardless of nationality, citizenship, culture, race, gender, sexual preference, religion, or any other
differentiating factor. Believing that some behaviors are simply wrong, it also submits that if something is right
for one, then it is right for another. Moral universalism is very much compatible with 'moral realism.'

· Moral relativism, on the other hand, submits that different moral facts and principles apply to different
persons or group of individuals.
Believing that various cultures have distinct standards of right and wrong, it also maintains that ethical standards
also change over time even in the same culture.
Empiricism vs. Rationalism
vs. Intuitionism
· Moral empiricism is a meta-ethical stance which states that moral facts are known through observation and
experience.

· Moral rationalism contends that moral facts and principles are knowable a priori, that is, by reason alone and
without reference to experience.

· Moral intuitionism submits that 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. As
the name suggests, it examines ethical
norms, that is, those guidelines about
what is right, worthwhile, virtuous, or
just.

Classifications of normative ethical


theories:
Deontology
Teleology
Virtue ethics
Applied Ethics
Applied Ethics philosophically examines specific, controversial moral issues. Using philosophical methods, this
area of concern in Ethics attempts to determine the ethically correct course of action in specific realms of human
action.

Applied ethical issues nowadays are classified into various subfields:

Bioethics
Environmental ethics
Business ethics
Sexual ethics
Social ethics
Virtue Ethics
is a moral philosophy that teaches that an action is right if it is
an action that a virtuous person would perform in the same
situations. According to the theory, a virtuous person is
someone who acts virtuously and people act virtuously if they
possess and live the virtues. A virtue is a moral characteristic
that an individual need to live well.

Virtue ethicists, such as Aristotle, hold that people live their lives
trying to develop their faculties to the fullest extent. We have
many faculties to develop such as intellectual, physical, social,
moral, and so on. Developing one's moral capacity to the fullest
is pursuing ethical excellence, which is displayed by the virtues.
Aristotle’s Ethics
At least two (2) of Aristotle's works specifically concern morality, the
Eudemian Ethics and the Nicomachean Ethics. But since only a few
have studied the former, the Nicomachean Ethics has been
regarded as the Ethics of Aristotle since the beginning of the
Christian era.

There are three general descriptions, which are interrelated, can be


used to depict Aristotle's ethics:

Self-realizationism
Eudaimonistic
Aretoic
Aristotle's “Telos”. A “telos” is an end or purpose.
Aristotle believed that the essence or essential
nature of beings, including humans, lay not at their
cause (or beginning) but at their end (“telos”).

Happiness and Virtues. Aristotle believed that the


ultimate human goal is self-realization. This entails
achieving one's natural purpose by functioning or
living consistently with human nature.

Virtue as Habit. Aristotle's idea of happiness should


also be understood in the sense of human
flourishing. This flourishing is attained by the
habitual practice of moral and intellectual
excellences, or 'virtues
Thomas Aquinas’ Ethics
Also called the Angelic Doctor and the Prince of Scholastics, Thomas
Aquinas is an Italian philosopher and theologian who ranks among the most
important thinkers of the medieval time period.

In Ethics, Aquinas depends so heavily on Aristotle. Like the Greek


philosopher, Aquinas believes that all actions are directed towards ends and
that happiness is the final end.

The Natural Law. Central also in Aquinas ethics is his typology of laws. By
the term 'law,' he means an ordinance of reason for the common good,
promulgated by someone who has care of the community. Aquinas' laws
should also be understood in terms of "rules and measures" for people's
conduct and as "rational patterns or forms.

For Aquinas, there are four primary types of law: the eternal, natural,
human, and divine.

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