Ethical Theories

“meta”

is a Latin term which means after or beyond

Metaethics

This component area in the study of Ethics refers to the study of nature and meaning of ethical concepts as it searches for the origins or causes of right and wrong

Metaphysics

study of the fundamental nature of reality

Metaphysics Issues

simply claims that moral values, concepts, or thoughts have eternal truths and possess some kind of objective reality.

Psychological Issues

It entails a psychological involvement (mental and emotional) in the apprehension of moral concepts

Psychological Issues

Our actions are dependent and inseparable to our inherent capacity to weigh, process, ponder, and decide to choose the right from wrong

Applied Ethics

refers to a field of ethics that deals with ethical questions specific to profession, discipline, or practical realms

Bioethics

is the study of the ethical and moral implications of new biological discoveries and biomedical advances, as in the fields of genetic engineering and drug researches

Environmental Ethics

is the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of the environment and its nonhuman contents

Professional Ethics

refers to the ethical norms, values, and principles that guide a profession and the ethics of decisions made within the profession

Legal Ethics

defines what is good for the individual and for society, and establishes the nature of obligations, or duties, that people owe themselves and one another

Business Ethics

it involves various moral and ethical problems that can arise in a business setting

Social Ethics

it represents the collective experience of people and culture

Rightness

is defined by what we would have to agree on in order to have a well-functioning society

Agape, Paul Ramsay (1993)

_____ is the supreme moral principle of Christian ethics for _____________

Normative Ethics

the study of ethical actions

“how we ought to act?”

question involved with normative ethics

The concept of right

usually reserved to actions which we ought to perform as right actions and we ought to not perform as wrong actions

The concept of morally good

refers to the states of human character that are desirable, worthy, or morally acceptable

Deontology

the basis of doing actions that are morally obligatory, regardless whether these actions result to negative consequences affecting other human beings

“deon”, “logy”

means duty and study

Teleology

focuses on the consequences of any action

“telos”, “logos”

means end and science/study

Virtue Ethics

theorists emphasize the need for people to learn how to break bad habits of character, like greed or anger.

Vices

stand in the way of becoming a good person