Three Approaches to Study of Ethics

Ethics is a field of study with different approaches that help us understand our moral compass. Let’s explore these three main approaches to ethics: Descriptive Ethics, Normative Ethics, and Meta-ethics.

Descriptive Ethics:

Imagine you’re a scientist studying a map of different lands, each with its own customs and rules. That’s what descriptive ethics is like. It’s the study of people’s beliefs and behaviors when it comes to morality. It doesn’t tell us what we should do; instead, it shows us what people actually do and believe. It’s like taking a survey of the world’s moral landscape.

Normative Ethics:

Now, let’s say you want to create a set of rules that everyone can agree on, a rulebook for right and wrong. That’s the goal of normative ethics. It’s all about setting up a system of moral guidelines that help us decide how to act in different situations.

There are a few key players in the world of normative ethics:

– Deontology: This approach is like a strict teacher who believes in following the rules, no matter what. It’s all about duty and doing the right thing because it’s right, not because of what might happen afterward. The famous philosopher Immanuel Kant is a big name here. He said we should act in ways that we’d want everyone else to act, too.

– Consequentialism: If deontology is the strict teacher, consequentialism is the results-oriented coach. It says that the outcome of our actions is what really matters. The most well-known version is utilitarianism, which suggests that we should do whatever will make the most people happy. It’s like trying to score the most points for team happiness.

– Virtue Ethics: This approach is like a wise mentor who focuses on character. It’s not just about following rules or outcomes; it’s about being a good person with qualities like honesty, kindness, and bravery. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is a big fan of this approach. He believed that developing good character traits is key to living a fulfilling life.

Meta-ethics:

Finally, we have meta-ethics, which is like the philosopher pondering the big questions. It’s not about what people do or what they should do; it’s about what morality itself is. Meta-ethics asks questions like “What does ‘good’ really mean?” and “Is morality objective or subjective?”

Meta-ethics gets really deep. It looks at the language we use when we talk about ethics and tries to understand the nature of moral reasoning. It’s like the foundation that the other types of ethics are built on.