"Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior."
An exploration of various ethical theories that can be applied in the public sector.
Normative ethics: This is the branch of ethics that is concerned with determining what is morally right or wrong.
Metaethics: This is a branch of ethics that is concerned with the nature of ethical language, concepts, and arguments.
Virtue ethics: Virtue ethics is a branch of ethics that focuses on the character traits of individuals and how these traits contribute to ethical behavior.
Deontological ethics: Deontological ethics is a branch of ethics that encompasses ethical theories that determine what is right or wrong based on a set of rules or duties.
Teleological ethics: Teleological ethics is a branch of ethics that focus on the consequences of actions and behavior.
Utilitarianism: Utilitarianism is a type of teleological ethics that focuses on maximizing utility, or the greatest amount of happiness, for the greatest number of people.
Ethical relativism: Ethical relativism is a theory in ethics that holds that moral judgments are relative to the culture, society, or individual making them.
Divine command theory: Divine command theory is a moral theory in which moral laws are seen as coming directly from God.
Natural law ethics: Natural law ethics is a type of normative ethical theory in which moral laws are seen as deriving from human nature.
Feminist ethics: Feminist ethics is a type of normative ethical theory that focuses on the experiences and contributions of women and what they bring to ethical debates.
Ethical egoism: Ethical egoism is a type of teleological ethical theory that maintains that individuals ought to act in their own self-interest.
Moral psychology: Moral psychology explores the psychological foundations of moral decision-making and moral behavior.
Virtue Ethics: Virtue ethics focuses on developing moral character traits such as honesty, courage, compassion, and integrity as the basis for ethical decision making.
Deontological Ethics: Deontological ethics emphasizes the moral duties and obligations that individuals have towards each other, irrespective of the consequences of their actions.
Utilitarianism: Utilitarianism believes that the best moral course of action maximizes utility, which means that actions are considered ethical if they promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.
Consequentialism: Consequentialism focuses on the outcomes of actions as the basis for ethical decision making. An action is considered ethical if it leads to positive outcomes for the majority or the individuals involved.
Moral Relativism: Moral relativism suggests that ethical standards can vary depending on cultural, historical, and individual perspectives. In this theory, there is no absolute or universal standard for ethics.
Natural Law Ethics: Natural law ethics believes that ethical principles are inherent in nature, and that people should follow these principles to achieve moral results.
Care Ethics: Care ethics emphasizes the importance of empathy, consideration, and the emotional bonds between individuals as essential for ethical decision making.
Feminist Ethics: Feminist ethics aims to address and overcome biases and inequalities that are inherent in traditional ethical theories.
Contractarian Ethics: Contractarian ethics suggests that ethical decisions should be based on social contracts, where individuals agree to follow certain rules and norms in exchange for mutual benefit.
Egoism: Egoism suggests that individuals should act in their own self-interest, even if this means harming others.
Rights-based Ethics: Rights-based ethics emphasizes individual rights as the foundation for ethical decision making, meaning that actions are considered ethical if they uphold individual liberty and autonomy.
Environmental Ethics: Environmental ethics focuses on the moral and ethical obligations people have towards the natural world and the environment.
"The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns matters of value; these fields comprise the branch of philosophy called axiology."
"Ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality by defining concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime."
"Moral philosophy is related to the fields of moral psychology, descriptive ethics, and value theory."
"Three major areas of study within ethics recognized today are: Meta-ethics, Normative ethics, and Applied ethics."
"Meta-ethics concerns the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions, and how their truth values (if any) can be determined."
"Normative ethics concerns the practical means of determining a moral course of action."
"Applied ethics concerns what a person is obligated (or permitted) to do in a specific situation or a particular domain of action."
"Moral philosophy is related to the field of moral psychology."
"Moral philosophy is related to the field of value theory."
"The aim of ethics is to systematize, defend, and recommend concepts of right and wrong behavior."
"Ethics seeks to define concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime."
"Ethics defines concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime."
"Ethics is part of the branch of philosophy called axiology."
"Aesthetics concerns matters of value."
"Normative ethics is concerned with determining a moral course of action."
"Applied ethics focuses on specific situations or domains of action in determining moral obligations or permissions for an individual."
"Ethics and meta-ethics are interconnected as ethics looks at the practical aspects of moral propositions while meta-ethics focuses on their theoretical meaning and truth values."
"Ethics contributes to the field of value theory as it concerns matters of value and evaluates concepts like good and evil."
"Ethics interacts with descriptive ethics as it seeks to systematize and defend concepts of right and wrong behavior that are studied in descriptive ethics."