Ethics: Introduction
| Philosophy Ethics is all about right and wrong. Ethics asks many questinos about morality, for instance what we are really doing when we engage in moral talk. When we use words like 'right' and 'wrong' or 'ought' and 'should' to pass moral judgement on others, what are we really doing? When we use moral language, are we somehow appealing to universal and absolute truths that in a real sense exist, or are we rather making appeal to our own internal preferences on action that it would be convenient if everyone else also believed in? Thus, when I make a statement such as "stealing sweets is wrong", what is the nature of my statement - what do I think I mean by it and what could I mean by it. Am I defining 'wrong' in terms of 'against the law of the land' or would the action be wrong even if I lived in a lawless state? Is there just something about stealing that makes it wrong - absolutely. Analysing the nature of moral language is one important part of ethical enquiry. As you may expect, there are many possible theories which try to answer this question, and many jargon words abound. Perhaps you'll find the realist options most attractive, or one of the anti-realist theories. Maybe you'll even become a fan of quasi-realism: who knows! Of course as well as metaethics, there are other aspects to ethics; for instance applied ethics which looks at very real polemics, such as whether abortion or euthanasia are right or wrong. Ethical debate will often get people into very passionate defences of their own position, and different people believe their own view is right with equal conviction and often eloquent arguments. Ethical pursuits are so important and relevant to our lives that this is hardly surprising. 'How should I live my life' is one of many questions that could be asked in ethics, but it cannot be denied that it is highly relevant to our individual lives and hence ethics in a very real sense can have an impact on our lives.
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