Question

Describe the difference between the branches of Ethics (meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics) and normative ethical theories (consequentialism, deontology, virtue, etc.)

Answer 1

1) ans)Normative ethics is the study of ethical action. It is the branch of philosophical ethics that investigates the set of questions that arise when considering how one ought to act, morally speaking.

Normative ethics is distinct from meta-ethics because it examines standards for the rightness and wrongness of actions, while meta-ethics studies the meaning of moral language and the metaphysics of moral facts; and it is distinct from applied ethics in that the former is more concerned with 'who ought one be' rather than the ethics of a specific issue (such as if, or when, abortion is acceptable).

Normative ethics is also distinct from descriptive ethics, as the latter is an empirical investigation of people’s moral beliefs. In this context normative ethics is sometimes called prescriptive, rather than descriptive ethics. However, on certain versions of the meta-ethical view called moral realism, moral facts are both descriptive and prescriptive at the same time.

Most traditional moral theories rest on principles that determine whether an action is right or wrong. Classical theories in this vein include utilitarianism, Kantianism, and some forms of contractarianism. These theories mainly offered the use of overarching moral principles to resolve difficult moral decisions

.There are disagreements about what precisely gives an action, rule, or disposition its ethical force. There are three competing views on how moral questions should be answered, along with hybrid positions that combine some elements of each. Virtue ethics focuses on the character of those who are acting, while both deontological ethics and consequentialism focus on the status of the action, rule, or disposition itself. The latter two conceptions of ethics themselves come in various forms.

Virtue ethics, focuses on the inherent character of a person rather than on specific actions.There has been a significant revival of virtue ethics i

Deontology argues that decisions should be made considering the factors of one's duties and one's rights. Some deontological theories include:

Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative, which roots morality in humanity's rational capacity and asserts certain inviolable moral laws.

The contractualism which holds that the moral acts are those that we would all agree to if we were unbiased, behind a "veil of ignorance".

Natural rights which hold that human beings have absolute, natural rights.

Consequentialism (teleology) argues that the morality of an action is contingent on the action's outcome or result. Consequentialist theories, differing in what they consider valuable (Axiology), include:

Utilitarianism, which holds that an action is right if it leads to the most happiness for the greatest number of people. (Historical note: Prior to the coining of the term "consequentialism" by Anscombe in 1958 and the adoption of that term in the literature that followed, "utilitarianism" was the generic term for consequentialism, referring to all theories that promoted maximizing any form of utility, not just those that promoted maximizing happiness.)

State consequentialism or Mohist consequentialism, which holds that an action is right if it leads to state welfare, through order, material wealth, and population growth.

Egoism, the belief that the moral person is the self-interested person, holds that an action is right if it maximizes good for the self.

Situational ethics, which emphasizes the particular context of an act when evaluating it ethically. Specifically Christian forms of situational ethics hold that the correct action is the one that creates the most loving result, and that love should always be people's goal.

Intellectualism, which dictates that the best action is the one that best fosters and promotes knowledge.

Welfarism, which argues that the best action is the one that most increases economic well-being or welfare.

Preference utilitarianism, which holds that the best action is the one that leads to the most overall preference satisfaction.

Ethics of care or relational ethics argues that morality arises out of the experiences of empathy and compassion. It emphasizes the importance of interdependence and relationships in achieving ethical goals.

Pragmatic ethics is difficult to classify fully within any of the four preceding conceptions. This view argues that moral correctness evolves similarly to other kinds of knowledge—socially over the course of many lifetimes—and that norms, principles, and moral criteria are likely to be improved as a result of inquiry.

Role ethics is based on the concept of family roles.

✓Meta ethics investigates where our ethical principles come from, and what they mean. They focus on issues of universal truths, the will of God, the role of reason in a judgment.
✓Normative ethics takes on a more practical task, which is to arrive at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. This may involve articulating the good habits that we should acquire, the duties that we should follow, or the consequences of our behavior on others.
✓nonnormative ethics ethics whose objective is to establish what factually or conceptually is the case, not what ethically ought to be the case. Two types are descriptive ethics and metaethics.
✓Metaethics talks about the nature of ethics and moral reasoning. ... In fact, drawing the conceptual distinction between Metaethics, Normative Ethics, and Applied Ethics is itself a "metaethical analysis." Normative ethics is interested in determining the content of our moral behavior.

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