normative ethics

normative ethics

      that part of moral philosophy, or ethics, concerned with criteria of what is morally right and wrong. It includes the formulation of moral rules that have direct implications for what human actions, institutions, and ways of life should be like.

      The central question of normative ethics is determining how basic moral standards are arrived at and justified. The answers to this question fall into two broad categories—deontological and teleological (teleological ethics). The principal difference between them is that deontological theories do not appeal to value considerations in establishing ethical standards, while teleological theories do. Deontological theories use the concept of their inherent rightness in establishing such standards, while teleological theories consider the goodness or value brought into being by actions as the principal criterion of their ethical value. In other words, a deontological approach calls for doing certain things on principle or because they are inherently right, whereas a teleological approach advocates that certain kinds of actions are right because of the goodness of their consequences. Deontological theories thus stress the concepts of obligation, ought, duty, and right and wrong, while teleological theories lay stress on the good, the valuable, and the desirable. Deontological theories set forth formal or relational criteria such as equality or impartiality; teleological theories, by contrast, provide material or substantive criteria, as, for example, happiness or pleasure.

      The application of normative theories and standards to practical moral problems is the concern of applied ethics. This subdiscipline of ethics deals with many major issues of the contemporary scene, including human rights, social equality, and the moral implications of scientific research, particularly in the area of genetic engineering.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Normative ethics — is the study of ethical action. It is the branch of philosophical ethics that investigates the set of questions that arise when considering how one ought to act, morally speaking. Normative ethics is distinct from meta ethics because it examines… …   Wikipedia

  • normative ethics — noun A branch of ethics concerned with classifying actions as right and wrong, attempting to develop a set of rules governing human conduct, or a set of norms for action …   Wiktionary

  • Normative (disambiguation) — Normative in academic disciplines means relating to an ideal standard or model, and in particular a normative statement (or norm see below) is a statement that affirms how things should or ought to be, that is how to value them. Normative… …   Wikipedia

  • ethics —    Ethics may be defined as the study of morality (though some, such as Bernard Williams, distinguish differently between the two). It is traditionally divided into three areas: (1) meta ethics, concerned with the meaning of moral terms ( good ,… …   Christian Philosophy

  • ethics — /eth iks/, n.pl. 1. (used with a sing. or pl. v.) a system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture. 2. the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.: medical ethics;… …   Universalium

  • Ethics — For other uses, see Ethics (disambiguation). Philosophy …   Wikipedia

  • Normative — For other uses, see Normative (disambiguation). Normative has specialized contextual meanings in several academic disciplines. Generically, it means relating to an ideal standard or model.[1] In practice, it has strong connotations of relating to …   Wikipedia

  • Normative science — A normative science is a form of inquiry, typically involving a community of inquiry and its accumulated body of provisional knowledge, that seeks to discover good ways of achieving recognized aims, ends, goals, objectives, or purposes. The three …   Wikipedia

  • Ethics in religion — Most religions have an ethical component, often derived from purported supernatural revelation or guidance. For many people, ethics is not only tied up with religion, but is completely settled by it. Such people do not need to think too much… …   Wikipedia

  • ethics — n. 1) the branch of philosophy concerned with the content of moral judgments (normative ethics) and their nature (metaethics). See also: consequentialism, Kantian ethics, narrative ethics 2) the principles or rules of conduct accepted within a… …   The new mediacal dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”