Overview of Ethical Theories

Meta-ethics is the critical and analytical study of ethical terms and judgments, focusing on the nature of ethical theories and judgments, whereas normative ethics sets norms or standards for conduct, discussing what one ought to do.

The rise of logical positivism and emotivism suppressed the idea of normative ethics, leading to a decline in the discussion of traditional normative ethical theories, until philosophers began to revisit these ideas in the 1960s.

Applied ethics is the application of ethical theories to solve practical problems, and Peter Singer is often credited with popularizing the term 'applied ethics' to express practical ethics.

<p>The 1960s saw a resurgence of interest in normative ethics, as philosophers began to revisit traditional ethical theories and develop new ones, marking a shift away from the dominance of meta-ethics and towards a renewed focus on practical ethics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Meta-ethics provides a foundation for understanding ethical terms and judgments, normative ethics sets standards for conduct, and applied ethics applies these theories to practical problems, with each area informing and influencing the others.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An issue must be controversial, with significant groups of people both for and against it, and it must be a distinctly moral issue, concerning universally obligatory practices.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Applied ethics aims to clarify concrete problems of ethical urgency, with a focus on the well-being of people, and uses normative principles or theories to solve problems, whereas meta and normative ethics are more theoretical and focus on the nature of ethics and moral principles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Moral issues concern universally obligatory practices, such as the duty to speak the truth, whereas social policy issues are confined to specific societies and may not be morally relevant, highlighting the need to consider both moral and social implications in applied ethics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Applied ethics approaches these issues by considering the normative principles and theories that underlie the controversy, and seeking to apply these principles to the concrete problem, taking into account the moral and social implications.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Applied ethics uses normative principles and theories to solve concrete problems, whereas normative ethics provides the underlying moral principles and theories that inform applied ethics, highlighting the interdependence of these two fields of ethics.</p> Signup and view all the answers