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Intro

This document provides an overview of the key concepts in ethics including definitions, theories, and areas of study. It defines ethics as the philosophical study of moral life focusing on determining what is good for individuals and society. It outlines three main areas of ethics: metaethics which investigates the origins and meaning of ethical principles; normative ethics which aims to establish moral standards; and applied ethics which examines specific contemporary issues through applying metaethical and normative frameworks. The document uses abortion as an example, noting it depends on normative rights principles and also intersects with metaethical questions.

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Nazmeen Akhtar
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82 views1 page

Intro

This document provides an overview of the key concepts in ethics including definitions, theories, and areas of study. It defines ethics as the philosophical study of moral life focusing on determining what is good for individuals and society. It outlines three main areas of ethics: metaethics which investigates the origins and meaning of ethical principles; normative ethics which aims to establish moral standards; and applied ethics which examines specific contemporary issues through applying metaethical and normative frameworks. The document uses abortion as an example, noting it depends on normative rights principles and also intersects with metaethical questions.

Uploaded by

Nazmeen Akhtar
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Course: Islamic Ethical Principles & Contemporary Issues [UR-511]

LECTURE # 3 Teacher: Dr. Muhammad Junaid Nadvi

INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS (DEFINITION; MEANING; THEORIES)


• The term ethics is derived from greek ethikos, ethos, meaning “custom” or “usage”. Aristotle (384-322
BC) employed the term to include both idea of “character” or disposition, personality and inclination.
• The term ‘moralis’ was introduced by roman philosopher cicero (106-43 bc) who regarded it as latin
equivalent of ethics.1
MEANING & ORIGIN OF ETHICS & MORALITY
• Ethics (Greek ethikos) is defined as philosophical study of moral life.
• Ethos refers to totality of conceptions held by a community in relation to ethics. A Greek word for used
for “character” and “customs” (traditions).
• Ethics is a system of moral principles and a branch of philosophy which defines what is good for
individuals and society.
• The goal of ethics is to determine what is good or bad for human beings, both for the individual and for
the society as a whole.
• Morals and morality refer to manners observed by a specific community, reasoned knowledge of what
is considered ethical.
• Morals also mean habitual conduct or behavior of a society, moral sanctions and principles imposed on
people in a society.2
ETHICS OR MORAL PHILOSOPHY
• The field of ethics, also called moral philosophy, involves systematizing, defending, and recommending
concepts of right and wrong behavior.
• Philosophers today usually divide ethical theories into three general subject areas:
1-metaethics, 2-normative ethics, and 3-applied ethics.
1-Meta-Ethics investigates where our ethical principles come from, and what they mean.
• Are they merely social inventions?
• Do they involve more than expressions of our individual emotions?
• Metaethical answers to these questions, focus on the issues of universal truths, the will of god, the role
of reason in ethical judgments, and the meaning of ethical terms themselves.
2-Normative Ethics takes on a more practical task, which is to arrive at moral standards that regulate right
& wrong conduct. This may involve expressing the good habits that we should acquire, the duties that we
should follow, or the consequences of our behavior on others.
3-Applied Ethics involves examining specific controversial issues, such as abortion, infanticide (killing of
newborn babies), animal rights, environmental concerns, homosexuality, capital punishment, or nuclear
war.
• By using the conceptual tools of metaethics and normative ethics, discussions in applied ethics try to
resolve these controversial issues.
• The lines of distinction between metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics are often blurry.
• For example, the issue of abortion is an applied ethical topic since it involves a specific type of
controversial behavior. But it also depends on more general normative principles, such as the right of
self-rule and the right to life, which are litmus tests for determining the morality of that procedure.
• The issue also rests on metaethical issues such as, "where do rights come from?" and "what kind of
beings have rights?"3
• Class-Room Discussion.

1 W.L Reese, dictionary of philosophy and religion: eastern and western thoughts, new jersey, humanities press, 1980, p.156.
2 J. Grooten & G. Jo Steenberger, ed. New encyclopedia of philosophy, philosophical library, 1972 new york, p 136, p278.
3 http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/e/ethics.htm#top [14-3-2009]

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