Ethics and Morals

This set of flashcards covers key concepts in ethics and morals, including definitions, branches of ethics, and philosophical schools of thought.

Ethics

A branch of Philosophy that studies the rightness and wrongness of human actions.

Morals

Habits or behaviors regarding what an individual believes is right or wrong.

Descriptive Ethics

Deals with what people actually believe to be right or wrong, and compares ethics of different societies.

Normative Ethics

Focuses on how one should act according to norms or standards of ethical action.

Virtue Ethics

Emphasizes character and virtues in determining ethical behavior.

Deontological Ethics

Focuses on the rightness and wrongness of actions based on rules, rather than outcomes.

Consequentialism

Ethical theory stating that the morality of an action is contingent on its outcomes.

Meta Ethics

Deals with the nature of ethical concepts and what morality is, rather than determining right or wrong.

Applied Ethics

Examines particular moral issues in private and public life from a moral standpoint.

Stoicism

Philosophy emphasizing self-control and overcoming destructive emotions to find peace of mind.

Hedonism

Ethical theory that prioritizes maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain.

Epicureanism

A hedonist form of virtue ethics advocating for moderated pleasure and the avoidance of pain.

Postmodern Ethics

Challenges ideas of objective reality in ethics, focusing on the complexities of individual actions and narratives.