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What are Ethics and Moral Philosophy?

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Even though we’re all human beings living on the same planet. We don’t all share the same moral code of ethics. Some cultures see certain actions as acceptable, while others see them as horrific crimes. It’s up to each individual to decide which actions he thinks are right and wrong. And how to act in accordance with his beliefs. Yet there are also many people who don’t feel they have to follow any code of conduct at all. Following what they believe only when it pleases them and doing whatever they want whenever they can get away with it.

Understanding ethics and moral philosophy

Although many people tend to use moral philosophy and ethics interchangeably, there is a difference between them. However, both terms encompass some of the same general concepts. Both moral philosophy and ethics deal with how one acts in everyday life. Basically, morality deals with what behavior is considered good or bad in a given culture or society. An ethic, on the other hand, refers to a personal belief system that one uses to make decisions. While both terms relate to how one should act morally in various situations. They deal with different aspects of that issue.

Examples

Some moral principles seem self-evident. For example, killing innocent people for fun or personal gain is clearly wrong. Whereas rescuing innocent people from torture for no personal gain seems obvious in its rightness. But what about situations that aren’t so clear-cut? As a society, we’ve created rules for our behavior as we’ve evolved over time. For example, most of us agree that we shouldn’t steal from each other unless there’s some overriding reason (such as if someone is stealing from you). Unfortunately, such rules often take into account different points of view on how much importance to give to different ideas of right and wrong.

Normative ethics

The field of normative ethics concerns what one should do. As we have seen, most people prefer to think of ethics as a set of objective rules or principles that tell us what actions are right or wrong. This leads us to consider an action morally good if it is in accord with these principles and morally bad if it is contrary to them. The rule Do not kill is an example of a rule that many people would say reflects a moral principle about which there can be no dispute.

Applied ethics

If you find yourself in a situation where you have to make a moral decision, chances are you’ll turn to your established moral principles to guide your behavior. That’s applied ethics. For example, if someone threatens your family or asks for a bribe, applying basic ethical principles might lead you to take action. Morality is incredibly nuanced and personal. But so is applied ethics—it’s all about context. Knowing how situations can affect our ethical decision-making ability can help us identify (and even avoid) ethical minefields before they blow up in our faces.

Three Types of Ethical Theory

There are three dominant types of ethical theory: virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism. Deontology is a philosophical framework based on moral rules. Virtue ethics is an approach that focuses on character development. Consequentialism holds that morality is derived from outcomes rather than specific acts or intentions. Ethical theories often play into how we judge certain behavior as morally good or bad, but it’s important to keep in mind that none of these theories can be proven true; they’re all just a way of looking at morality from different perspectives.

What are four ethnic philosophies?

There is some debate over what constitutes an ethnic philosophy. For example, Latin American philosophers may claim a different origin than European ones. Ethnicity can also be tied to national identity or citizenship status; for example, in China, there is a distinction between Han ethnic Chinese philosophy (e.g., Confucianism) versus non-Han Chinese philosophies (Daoism). As a broad rule, however, we can say that Asian philosophical traditions tend to be more holistic or integrative (as opposed to analytic) whereas Western philosophies often involve splitting things up into smaller parts or getting down to their most basic components.

How Do You Decide Right From Wrong?

A good question to ask when we feel stuck is How do you decide right from wrong? This can be particularly helpful if you have a strong belief that something is morally wrong, but there is no rule or law against it. One way of deciding on what’s right and wrong is to think about what your conscience would tell you. Ask yourself: If I could never be caught or punished for my actions, would I still do them? If you believe that everyone should make a decision in accordance with their conscience, then doing something that goes against your own moral code—even if no one will ever know—isn’t very ethical. On another note, it’s important to ask yourself whether an action causes more harm than good.

Should I Choose the Best or Good Enough?

This is a debate that’s taking place in philosophy departments across the world: Are moral decisions about choosing between two good enough options, or should we always choose to do what’s best? There is no easy answer. But, there are two things you can do to solve ethical dilemmas. First, realize that there isn’t just one set of rules that covers every possible situation. Second, use your reasoning skills to identify which rules and standards apply most accurately in a particular case. And if all else fails—remember that even philosophers have a hard time sorting out right from wrong. As Woody Allen said Ninety percent of life is just showing up.

Why moral philosophy is detracting and harmful

Many are not willing to critically examine what morality is, why we have it, and its effects on society. This is why moral philosophy harms individuals, societies, and entire civilizations. The moment we stop questioning our ethics is when we begin to lose control of ourselves. Questions can only be answered by other questions.

Thus there will never be a final solution to morality because any answer will bring forth a new question for us to answer as well as a new set of consequences for us to deal with. If you want what’s best for yourself and society at large you must question all your beliefs without exception in order to discover how they affect your life in an objective way that leads towards a better future than if those beliefs did not exist or if they were challenged.

Final verdict

It isn’t always easy to know what you should do. Different situations require different actions; what might be right in one situation could be wrong in another. That’s where ethics comes in. The term ethics refers to a code of morals, values, or principles. Think of it as a set of guidelines for making decisions about how to act in various situations. Over time, various societies have developed their own codes of ethics; these moral guidelines can vary widely depending on where you live or where you grew up. When we talk about ethical behavior, we often distinguish between values (what is important) and norms (how those values are applied). When we think about morality, there is some subjectivity involved—and that is a good thing!

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