Ethics terminology An introduction to the labels that

Ethics terminology An introduction to the labels that help to define ethics-related discussions Created by Brett Oppegaard for Washington State University's DTC 338 Information Ethics class, fall 2008

Socrates asks. . . The ultimate question: What ought I to do? Courtesy of trionicsusa. com

Definitions of “ethics” “A set of principles of right conduct. ” - American Heritage Dictionary. “Standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness or specific virtues. ” - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. “Ethics. . . are nothing but reverence for life. This is what gives me the fundamental principle of morality, namely, that good consists in maintaining, promoting and enhancing life, and that destroying, injuring and limiting life are evil. ” theologian Albert Schweitzer. “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. ”

Quotes about “ethics” “Our very lives depend on the ethics of strangers, and most of us are always strangers to other people. ” - journalist Bill Moyers. “Action indeed is the sole medium of expression for ethics. ” - social worker Jane Addams. “There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity” - author Tom Peters. “We would like to believe that we are not in the business of surviving but in being good, and we do not like to admit to ourselves that we are good in order to survive. ” psychologist Dorothy Rowe. “Be as you wish to seem. ” - philosopher Socrates.

How would we describe ethics? Create our definition

Meta – Normative – Applied The three broad categories of ethics Metaethics – What does it all mean? The study of ethics as an airy intellectual discipline. Normative ethics – Looking for likelihoods of outcome, a standard, or “norm, ” of action to guide behavior. Courtesy of www. tdcj. state. tx. us Applied ethics – Applying “ethical” behavior to a specific situation.