PHIL 2135 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Moral Relativism, Descriptive Ethics, Normative Ethics
Document Summary
Descriptive vs. normative, normative ethics, and relativism by lloyd eby, (revised, jan 2017: descriptive (or observational) vs. normative accounts or assessments. A normative account or assessment of something attempts to say -- usually on the basis of some normative ethical theory or belief -- whether that thing is actually good or bad, right or wrong. In other words, descriptive ethics only describes what that person, group, or society thinks is right or wrong, without commenting on whether it actually is right or wrong, good or bad. Descriptive ethics does not solve the problem of what is actually right or wrong, good or bad. Normative ethics attempts to say or at least find theories or principles that enable us to say what is actually right or wrong, good or bad. Our interest in this course is primarily normative ethics; we are trying to find and promote good and sustainable ethical norms.
