Explain the four branches of ethics with suitable examples.
The four branches of ethics are:
- Meta-ethics: This branch of ethics deals with the nature of moral principles and the meaning of moral language. It examines questions such as “What is the nature of moral statements?”, “What is the meaning of moral terms like ‘good’ and ‘bad’?” and “How do moral principles relate to human behavior?”.
- Normative ethics: This branch of ethics deals with the actual principles and values that govern the behavior of individuals and society. It examines questions such as “What ought to be done?” and “What is the right thing to do?” It also deals with theories of morality such as consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics and others.
- Applied ethics: This branch of ethics deals with the practical application of moral principles to specific issues and situations. Examples of applied ethics include medical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics and bioethics. It examines questions such as “How should we act in this specific situation?” and “What is the morally correct decision in this case?”
- Descriptive ethics: This branch of ethics deals with how people actually behave and make moral judgments, rather than how they ought to behave. It examines questions such as “What do people believe to be right and wrong?” and “What moral principles do people actually follow?”
It is worth noting that there is not a universally agreed upon classification of branches of ethics, and different sources may divide the field into different categories or use different terminology.
Topics: GS-IV: Ethics and Human Interface