![]() Searching for the source of right and wrongĪt times in the past some people thought that ethical problems could be solved in one of two ways: Virtue Ethics is particularly concerned with the moral character of human beings. Good people as well as good actionsĮthics is not only about the morality of particular courses of action, but it's also about the goodness of individuals and what it means to live a good life. When people do this, they often see those who they regard as immoral as in some way less human or deserving of respect than themselves sometimes with tragic consequences. If a group believes that a particular activity is "wrong" it can then use morality as the justification for attacking those who practice that activity. One problem with ethics is the way it's often used as a weapon. So when a person 'thinks ethically' they are giving at least some thought to something beyond themselves. ![]() They find moral ambiguity hard to live with because they genuinely want to do the 'right' thing, and even if they can't work out what that right thing is, they like the idea that 'somewhere' there is one right answer.īut often there isn't one right answer - there may be several right answers, or just some least worst answers - and the individual must choose between them.įor others moral ambiguity is difficult because it forces them to take responsibility for their own choices and actions, rather than falling back on convenient rules and customs.Įthics and people Ethics is about the 'other'Īt the heart of ethics is a concern about something or someone other than ourselves and our own desires and self-interest.Įthics is concerned with other people's interests, with the interests of society, with God's interests, with "ultimate goods", and so on. Many people want there to be a single right answer to ethical questions. After that it's up to each individual to come to their own conclusions. Some philosophers go further and say that all ethics can do is eliminate confusion and clarify the issues. Indeed more and more people think that for many ethical issues there isn't a single right answer - just a set of principles that can be applied to particular cases to give those involved some clear choices. Ethics doesn't give right answersĮthics doesn't always show the right answer to moral problems. That can take a lot of heat out of the argument, and sometimes even hint at a way for them to resolve their problem.īut sometimes ethics doesn't provide people with the sort of help that they really want. ![]() Using the framework of ethics, two people who are arguing a moral issue can often find that what they disagree about is just one particular part of the issue, and that they broadly agree on everything else. So ethics provides us with a moral map, a framework that we can use to find our way through difficult issues. Because these are such emotional issues we often let our hearts do the arguing while our brains just go with the flow.īut there's another way of tackling these issues, and that's where philosophers can come in - they offer us ethical rules and principles that enable us to take a cooler view of moral problems. Most moral issues get us pretty worked up - think of abortion and euthanasia for starters. However, ethics does provide good tools for thinking about moral issues. They argue that if a person realises that it would be morally good to do something then it would be irrational for that person not to do it.īut human beings often behave irrationally - they follow their 'gut instinct' even when their head suggests a different course of action. Some philosophers think that ethics does do this. If ethical theories are to be useful in practice, they need to affect the way human beings behave. Applied ethics looks at controversial topics like war, animal rights and capital punishmentĮthics needs to provide answers.Normative ethics is concerned with the content of moral judgements and the criteria for what is right or wrong.It looks at the origins and meaning of ethical principles. Meta-ethics deals with the nature of moral judgement.Philosophers nowadays tend to divide ethical theories into three areas: metaethics, normative ethics and applied ethics. They infuse debates on topics like abortion, human rights and professional conduct. Our concepts of ethics have been derived from religions, philosophies and cultures. moral decisions - what is good and bad?.The term is derived from the Greek word ethos which can mean custom, habit, character or disposition. They affect how people make decisions and lead their lives.Įthics is concerned with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as moral philosophy. At its simplest, ethics is a system of moral principles.
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