Block, SkipCaptcha, Upload, Automoderated users, edit, move, protect
30,891
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 9:
Line 9: − +
linked Subjectivism
== Divisions of ethics ==
== Divisions of ethics ==
As a branch of [[philosophy]], ethics has three main subdivisions:
As a branch of [[philosophy]], ethics has three main subdivisions:
*'''meta-ethics''' asks questions such as: what do ethical statements mean? In what ways are they the same as, and in what way do they differ from, non-ethical statements? Do ethical statements have objective truth, or are they merely [[subjective]] expressions of opinion or [[emotion]]? Are ethical statements ultimately reducible to non-ethical statements? How can we know what is ethical and what is not?
*'''meta-ethics''' asks questions such as: what do ethical statements mean? In what ways are they the same as, and in what way do they differ from, non-ethical statements? Do ethical statements have objective truth, or are they merely [[Subjectivism|subjective]] expressions of opinion or [[emotion]]? Are ethical statements ultimately reducible to non-ethical statements? How can we know what is ethical and what is not?
*'''normative ethics''' asks what are the basic principles of right or wrong: is [[morality]] fundamentally about the consequences of our actions, the inherent nature of the acts we perform, or our character as actors?
*'''normative ethics''' asks what are the basic principles of right or wrong: is [[morality]] fundamentally about the consequences of our actions, the inherent nature of the acts we perform, or our character as actors?
*'''applied ethics''' seeks to apply ethical principles to concrete social issues, such as [[abortion]], [[euthanasia]], human sexuality, animal welfare, the [[environment]], [[poverty]], etc. Applied ethics inevitably depends on the positions one adopts in the areas of normative ethics and meta-ethics
*'''applied ethics''' seeks to apply ethical principles to concrete social issues, such as [[abortion]], [[euthanasia]], human sexuality, animal welfare, the [[environment]], [[poverty]], etc. Applied ethics inevitably depends on the positions one adopts in the areas of normative ethics and meta-ethics