PHIL 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: William Frankena, Sentenced, Western Philosophy
Document Summary
Ethics: formal branch of philosophy about the study of morals and their derivation. Emphasizes responsibility and capability of individuals to reach his or her own conclusions through reasoning. The study of the values and guidelines by which we live, as well as the justifications of these values and guidelines. The moral rightness or wrongness of a position or action is not a matter of personal opinion, but of reason. The study of moral theory and moral reasoning helps us to recognize and organize these principles and moral concerns. Having a right to our own opinion is not the same as saying all our opinions are equal or reasonable. A conceptual framework for explaining a set of facts or concepts. A good moral theory should be able to explain a range or scope of morality, not just particular types of actions.
