PHI 2396 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Normative Ethics, Applied Ethics, Meta-Ethics

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHI 2396
• Professor: Iain Mc Kenna

Document Summary

Ethics the study of morality using the tools and methods of philosophy. Involving or expressing moral approval or disapproval. An example of ethics in healthcare: a patient has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Her family does not want her informed of the diagnosis. Normative ethics the search for, and justification of, moral standards, or norms. Seeks to set norms or standards for conduct. Normative ethics believes that right and wrong are found in an individual"s behavior. Normative ethics is the study of what you should or should not do. Metaethics the study of the meaning and justification of basic moral beliefs. Meta-ethics is concerned with what we mean when we use words like good" "bad". It isn"t a normative system of ethics -it"s does not tell us what we can and can"t do. Ex: abortion is wrong, honesty is a virtue, & slavery is evil. Applied ethics the use of moral norms and concepts to resolve practical moral issues.