What is Ethics?

Summary

This whiteboard session delves into the fundamentals of ethics, tracing its origins from the Greek 'ethos' to the modern philosophical study of right and wrong human actions. It distinguishes ethics from morality, highlighting ethics as the theoretical exploration of moral principles, while morality is the practice. The session outlines the branches of ethics, including normative ethics, which sets moral standards, meta-ethics, which examines the meaning and origin of ethical terms, and applied ethics, which applies these theories to real-world dilemmas. The discussion aims to simplify the complex nature of ethics and its dynamic evolution through socio-cultural contexts.

Takeaways

• 📚 Ethics is a branch of philosophy that studies the rightness or wrongness of human actions and the concept of the 'good life'.
• 🌐 The term 'ethics' comes from the Greek word 'ethos', which originally meant custom or character.
• 🔍 There is no single absolute definition of ethics due to its evolving nature influenced by socio-cultural and political contexts.
• 🏛 In Greek tradition, ethics was about the good life and happiness, exemplified by Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics.
• 🕍 The Judeo-Christian tradition introduced a different focus on ethics, emphasizing righteousness and love of God and neighbor.
• 🤔 The relationship between doing what is right and being happy is complex and varies across different ethical views.
• 📉 Ethics and morality are not the same; ethics is the study of the theory of right action, while morality is the practice of ethics.
• 📝 Normative ethics is prescriptive, setting standards for right and wrong conduct, whereas meta-ethics is descriptive, exploring the meaning and function of ethical terms.
• 🛠 Applied ethics involves the practical application of moral theories to resolve specific moral problems, such as in business, biomedical, and social ethics.
• 👮‍♂️ A scenario involving a police officer shooting a terrorist illustrates the difference between normative ethics, which might say the act is wrong, and consequentialist ethics, which might argue it is morally correct in the situation.
• 🔄 The script highlights the dynamic nature of ethics, showing how it adapts to different contexts and the challenges in defining it absolutely.

Q & A

What is the origin of the term 'ethics'?

The term 'ethics' is derived from the Greek word 'ethos,' which originally means custom or character.

What is the primary focus of ethics as a branch of philosophy?

Ethics is primarily concerned with the rightness or wrongness of human actions and questions of how human persons ought to act.

Why is there no single absolute definition of ethics?

There is no single absolute definition of ethics because the discipline is constantly evolving due to changes in socio-cultural and political contexts.

How does the Greek tradition view ethics in relation to the concept of the good life?

In the Greek tradition, ethics was conceived as relating to the concept of the good life, with ethical inquiry directed toward discovering the nature of happiness.

What ethical orientation was introduced by the Judeo-Christian tradition?

The Judeo-Christian tradition introduced an ethical orientation focused on the ideals of righteousness before God, and the love of God and neighbor, rather than the happy or pleasant life.

What is the difference between ethics and morality?

Ethics is the systematic study of the underlying principles of morality, focusing on the theory of right action and the greater good, while morality is the practice of ethics, indicating the rightness or wrongness of human actions.

What are the two main types of ethical inquiry according to Sumner?

According to Sumner, the two main types of ethical inquiry are normative ethics, which is prescriptive in nature, and meta-ethics, which is descriptive in nature.

What is the purpose of normative ethics?

Normative ethics seeks to set norms or standards that regulate right and wrong or good and bad conduct, developing guidelines or theories that tell us how we ought to behave.

What does meta-ethics aim to understand?

Meta-ethics aims to understand the nature and dynamics of ethical principles, asking questions about the nature and origin of moral facts and how we learn and acquire moral beliefs.

What is applied ethics and how does it differ from the other types of ethics?

Applied ethics is the actual application of ethical or moral theories to decide which actions are appropriate in given situations. It differs from normative and meta-ethics by focusing on individual moral problems and practical decision-making.

How does the script illustrate the difference between the three major types of ethics?

The script uses the example of a police officer shooting a terrorist to illustrate the differences: normative ethics might say the act is wrong because killing is intrinsically wrong, meta-ethics might question the underlying principles of such actions, and applied ethics would consider the specific situation and the consequences of the action.