SofiaFelix

5/3/16
LanguageArts
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Ethics
Haveyoueverstoppedtothinkwhatisreallywrongandright,andhowthisopinion
differs?Thereissomeconceptsmostpeoplecanagreewithiswrong,forexamplepremeditated
murder,butwhatmakesitimmoral?Isitimmoralbecausethat'swhatsocietythinks,becauseof
theconsequencesthatfollow,becauseofyourreligion,theywayyouwereraised,orisitjustan
opinion?Manypeoplesaymurderiswrong,butwhataboutthecasesofabortionorphysician
assistedsuicide.Dotheunspokenethicalrulesmakeanexceptionordotheystillapply.
Thisbringsustothequestion,whatisEthics?Ethicsisthemoralphilosophyof
studying,examining,recommending,anddefendingrightandwrongconcepts.Thebasicidea
behindethicsisverysimple,tofigureoutwhatismoralandimmoral,butasyoubegintosearch
deeperintothissubjectmanyquestionsemerge.Startingwithsomelightresearch,questionslike
whatisethicalandwhyisitethicalwillbeasked.Howeverastheresearchcontinuesthey
willstarttoquestionourveryhumanexistence,God,anduniversaltruths.
Ethicscanbesplitintothreemainsubjectareas.Theseareasfocusonspecificconcepts,
andquestions.Thethreedifferentareasaresplitintometaethics,normativeethics,andapplied
ethics.Theyarethemainthreeareasbutmanysubtopics,suchasegoism,altruism,

consequentialism,andcontroversialmoralissuesarecoveredwithinthem.Metaethics
investigateswhereourmoralsorethicalbeliefscomefrom,whattheymean,andtowhomdo
theyapply.Manyoftheanswerstothesequestionssurroundtheideasofuniversaltruths,the
willofGod,andtherolethatreasonplaysinmakingethicalchoices.Metaethicsventuresinto
theveryphilosophicaltopicsofbasichumanexistenceandtheexistenceofagreaterbeing,God
butnormativeethicstakesaverypracticalstance.Normativeethicsgoalistoconstructmoral
standardsthatcanbeusedtoregulatebehavior.Itgoesintodetailaboutthedutiesandhabitsthat
shouldbepracticed,alongwiththeconsequencesofouractionsamongothers.Lastlyapplied
ethicsinvolvesstudyingcontroversialissuestocometoamoralstandpoint.Manyappliedethical
subjectsinclude:abortion,homosexuality,animalrights,euthanasia,assistedsuicide,theuseof
cannabisformedicalpurposes,andwartactics.Peoplehavebeenstudyingmoralityforcenturies
butasmorecontroversialissuesemergedsodidthefieldofappliedethics.
Moralityhasbeenafieldofinterestformanyancientphilosophers.Thisincludeswell
knownnames,suchas:Socrates,Plato,Aristotle,Democritus,AristippusofCyreneand
Epicurus,justtonameafew.Therehavebeencountlessnumberofpeopledatingbackcenturies
studyingthephilosophyofrightandwrong.Thisespeciallypertainstothepeopleofancient
GreeceandRome.OneofthemanyancientGreekphilosophersincludesSocrateswhotaught
thattheultimatecauseforhumanactivityishappiness.Thereforethatnooneisdeliberately
corrupt,andthatalleviliscausedbyignorance.Healsotaughtthatignorancecanbeavoided
throughtheuseofvirtues,manysimilartothevirtuesusedtodayinthefieldofnormativeethics.
AnotherofthemoreadvancedandwellknownnamesassociatedwithancientGreekphilosophy
isAristotle.Alotofhistheoriesarestillconsideredcorrect.Thisincludeshistheorythattrue

happiness,ifthewilloftheGods,canonlybeobtainedastherewardforexertion.Aristotlealso
studiedthetheoriesofmoralvirtuesandmanyofhisteachingssurroundingthisarestillsaidto
becorrect.Withthedawnofnewbeliefsandeverchangingmoralviews,manydevelopments
weremadetothealreadyestablishedethicalstandpointsinancienttimes.
Averyprominentoccasioninadifferentiatingapproachtoethicscamewiththedawnof
anewandgrowingreligiousgroup.Earlierreligionsneverhadaclearperceptionbetweenthe
relationofGodwiththeworld.Christianityontheotherhand,wasquicktoanswerthese
questions.TheteachingsofSaintPaulsaythatGodhaswrittenhismorallawintheheartofall
men,eventhoseoutsidetheinfluenceoftheChristianvirtue.Hegoesontoteachthatthis
moralityisactiveintheheartsandconsciencesofall,eveniftheychosetoignoreit,andthatone
dayGodwilljudgeallbyhowtheyfollowedthismorallaw.Fromthisbasismanyproperethical
viewsunfoldedthataresimilartomanyofthepresentday.Therearestillmany,manydevout
Christianfollowerswholivebytheseethicalprinciplesbutastimeprogressedsciencebeganto
changethingsastheywerepreviouslyviewed.
Onespecificfieldofphilosophythatsprungfromscientificdiscoveries,changedmany
viewsonhumanmorality.Itiscalledevolutionaryphilosophy,whichisgreatlybasedoffofthe
discoveriesmadebyCharlesDarwin.Asthetheoryofevolutionprogressed,philosophersbegan
torealizethatifhumanisnothingmorethanahighlydevelopedbrutethenisitevencapablefor
ustohavespiritualrelationshipsanddevelopatruesenseofmorality.Ashumansdevelopedso
didoursenseofmoralitybutthequestionwasleftunansweredifthereisstillthatselfishanimal
instinctrootedinallhumans.Manyofthesetheorieshavebeendismissedbuttothisday
evolutionaryphilosophycontinuestobestudiedbutfromdifferentstandpoints.Besidesthisfield

ofphilosophy,manydifferentethicaltheoriesusedpresentlywerefoundedoffofbeliefsmade
byancientphilosophers.
ThefoundationofChristianEthicsismuchlikewhatiscoveredinMetaethics.Thebasis
ofChristianethicstalksabouthowallourmoralprinciplescomefromGodandarerootedinour
conscience.Muchlikemetaethicswhichanswersthequestionswheredoourmoralprinciples
comefrom.Metaethicsisoneofthemorecomplexfieldsofethicsbecauseasyouventuredeeper
intothetopicitstartstoexploreintoverycontroversialandphilosophicalquestions.Unlike
Christianethicswheretheanswercanalwaysbefoundeduponfaith,metaethicsexploresall
optionstofindoutthefoundationofethicalbeliefs.Itexploresintothepossibilityofasupreme
beingoraGodorsimplyhumanreasoning,asthecause.Metaethicsisaverybroadsubject.The
wordmetameansbeyondsothepurposeofmetaethicsistoseefromaverydistancedpointof
viewandexaminethebiggerpictureofethics.Notonlydoesmetaethicsexaminethefoundation
ofourmoralbeliefsbuttowhomdotheyapply.Itgoesdeeperintoifourreligion,culture,or
heritageaffectouropinionsonmoralstandpoints.Thiswasanobviousyes,anexampleisthat
mostpeoplethatwereraisedinCatholicismbelievethathomosexualityandabortionisimmoral
andmanyotherswhowereraisedinadifferentmannerdisagreewiththesebeliefs.Itwas
obviousthatthewaywewereraisedwouldaffectourmoralstandpointsbutmoralityis
universal.Whatiscorrectforonepersonshouldbecorrectforall,speakingfromageneral
standpoint.Despitewhatit
should
be,thisisnotthecasebecausewhatisviewedassocially
acceptablewillvarydependingonwhoyouare.
Thiscanbefurtherexplainedandunderstoodthroughthegraspofdifferentiatingmale
andfemalemorality.Discussionsonthisclaimtendtofocusontwoideas:traditionalmoralityis

malecentered,andthatthereisauniquefemaleperspectiveoftheworldwhichevolvesintoa
valuetheory.Accordingtomanyfeministphilosophers,traditionalmoralityismalebased
becauseitisshapedaroundpracticesthathavebeenmaledominated,suchasacquiringproperty,
engaginginbusinesscontracts,andgoverningsocieties.Acarebasedapproachtomoralitywas
constructedbyfeministethicistsaseitherareplacementoradditivetotraditionalmalemodeled
moralsystems.Themoralitybetweenmenandwomanisalsosaidtodifferintheareaof
emotionandreason.Emotioniswhatcausesasenseofmorality,andtherearearguablydistinct
emotionaldifferencesbetweenamanandawomansothemoralitymaydifferbetweengenders.
BritishphilosopherDavidHumearguedthatmoralassessmentsinvolveouremotions.Hetaught
thatyoumusthaveadistinctlyemotionalreactiontomakeamoraljudgment.Alongwiththe
beliefthatouremotionswilloverrideourreasonintheprocessofcomingtoamoralstandpoint.
Psychologytiesintoethicsinmanydifferentways.Thisespeciallyappliestotheideaof
egoism.Egoismisthebeliefthatbehindeveryactionthereisaninheritedselfishreasonatthe
rootofit.Thisincludesallactions,evenoneswithseeminglyselflessintentions.Egoism
expressesthatevenanactionlikedonatingtocharityhasanunderlyingselfishmeaning.Inthe
scenarioofdonatingitcouldbetoreceivepraisefromthosearoundyou,ortofeelmore
powerfulthanthoseyouaredonatingto.Metaethicsisverycomplexfieldthatcoversmany
subtopics,suchas:egoism,maleandfemalemorality,andtheethicaltheoriesofemotion.The
endresultofmetaethicsthough,isstilltofigureoutwherearemoralprinciplescomefromand
why.Normativeethicsontheotherhandhasaverydifferentgoal.
Unlikemetaethics,whichanswersthequestionofwho,where,andwhynormativeethics
setsouttoanswerwhat.Asinwhatiswrongandright.Normativeethicsinvolvescomingtothe

arrivalofaprincipalorprincipalsthatcanmonitorbehavior.Therearethreemaintypesof
normativetheoriesthattrytoachievethis.Theyarevirtuetheories,dutytheories,and
consequentialisttheories.
Despitethepopularbeliefamongphilosophersthatlearningrulesofconductiscrucialto
morality,virtuetheoriesstressquitetheopposite.Avirtuetheoryfocuseslessonlearningrules
andmoreondevelopinggoodcharacterhabits.Thesehabitsslowlybecomeinstilledasvirtues.
Thesevirtueswillaffectouractionsgreatlyiffollowedproperly.Virtuesthatwerestressedby
theancientphilosopher,Plato,includewisdom,courage,temperanceandjustice.Thesearestill
greatlyfollowedbuthavebeenrenamedthefourcardinalBesidesthecardinalvirtues,being
benevolentissomethingthatshouldbestressed.
Dutytheories,ontheotherhand,focusmorewithlearningrulesandbasicdutiesevery
personhas.Thesedutytheoriesaremeanttobeaguideonhowtolivemorally.Theyincludedo
notkill,careforchildren,donotinjure,anddonotabuseinanyform.Thatisonlysomeasthere
ismanydutytheories.Besidesconducttowardothers,dutytheoriesinstructonhowtomorally
treatoneself,whichincludes:nottoharmone'sownbodythrough:gluttony,undereating/eating
disorder,lackofsleep,selfharm,orsuicide.
Thelastnormativetheoryisconsequentialisttheories.Consequentialiststheorysregard
weighingouttheconsequencesofanactionbeforeitisconducted.Firstallthepositiveoutcomes
andnegativeoutcomeswillbementallynoted,thenifthepositiveoutweighsthenegative
outcomesthatdecisionwillbechosen.Accordingtoconsequentialismcorrectconductis
determinedonlybyananalysisoftheoutcomes.
ThelastformofethicsisAppliedEthics.AppliedEthicsinvolvesanalyzingcontroversial

moralproblemsthatareoccurringandcomingtoamoralstandpoint.Someapplied
ethicalissuesare:abortion,wartactics,animalrights,homosexualrights,assistedsuicide,
medicalcannabis,euthanasia,thedeathpenalty,alongwithmanyothercontroversialtopics.
Opinionsontheseappliedethicalissueswilldifferdependingontheperson.Oftentimes
religion,age,heritage,andsenseofreasonwillaffecttheseopinions.Ipersonallyagreewiththe
legalizationofthemedicalcannabis,assistedsuicide,homosexualantidiscrimination(in
schools,establishments,andworkplace)laws,andaccessibleabortionstoallwoman.Some
statesintheU.Salreadyallowthesethingsbutitwouldbeatrulyfreecountryifthesething
couldbelegalnationwide.Ialsothinkitisimportantthattheselawsareimplementedinother
countries.ThemarriageequalityrulingwaspassedintheU.S(in2015)butotherlawsagainst
certaintypesofdiscriminationandadoptionrightstoLGBTQ+membersareyettobepassed.
Otherissueslikemedicalmarijuanaarealsoverycontroversial.Medicalcannabisisalifesaving
treatmentforsomeindividualswithterminaldiseaseeventhoughithasnotbeenFDAapproved.
Inthecaseofphysicianassistedsuicide,Ialsothinkitshouldlegalized.Therighttodieisjustas
importantastherighttolive.Abortionisatopicincreasinginpopularityintherecentyears.
Despitethiscertainstateshavestillpassedantiabortionlegislation,includingthestateof
Arkansas.Ibelievethatabortionsshouldbelegalandaccessiblenationwide.Manyorganizations
suchasPlannedParenthoodareworkingforthiscause,allovertheU.S.ALotofmyopinions
areinfluencedoffmyoldersiblingsandcousins.Especiallymyfamilymembersthatworkin
thesecontroversialtopicsandfightforthem.
Ethicsappliestocatholicismbyassistinginreinforcinganindividual'smorals.Astrong
graspofonesmoralshelpsinleadingaholierlife.Ifyouarestronginyourbeliefsofwhatis

rightandwrongyouarelesslikelytomakeimmoraldecisionswhichwillhelponetogrow
closertoGod.
Ethicsisaverycomplexfieldthatcanbeassociatedwithmanydifferenttopics.These
includereligion,issuesintheworld,andphilosophy.Therearethreemainareasofethics.
Metaethics,Normativeethics,andappliedethics.Eachareaisrelativelygeneralandholdsmany
subtopics.Theideabehindethicsisasimpleone,whatisrightandwhatiswrong.Assimpleas
itmightseemthedeeperyougointothesubjectmanyinterestingandsurprisingthingsemerge.

Bibliography

"FOURETHICALAPPROACHES:VIRTUE,DUTY,CONSEQUENCEAND
RELATIVISM."FourTypesofEthics.CSRNYC,2012.Web.11Apr.16

Fieser,James."Ethics."InterentEncyclopediaofPhilosophy.N.p.,n.d.Web.10Apr.2016.

Harvard."Justice:What'sTheRightThingToDo?Episode01"THEMORALSIDEOF
MURDER""YouTube.YouTube,04Sept.2009.Web.11May2016.

"LegalEthicsArticles."EthicsArticles.N.p.,n.d.Web.13May2016.