PHIL-P 140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Applied Ethics, Meta-Ethics, Deontological Ethics
Document Summary
The discipline of ethics is usually divided into three sub-areas: meta-ethics, ethical theory, and applied ethics. Applied ethics deals with difficult, real-world, issues and attempts to identify the best course of action. Our main focus for the next few weeks will be ethical theory. Once we"ve identified these features, we can then determine how we ought to act in various circumstances. Consider the purse example from the deigh reading. There is a major division between two kinds of ethical theories. Teleology" derives from the greek word telos" which means end , purpose , or goal. Deontology" derives from the greek word deon" which means obligation or duty. Teleological accounts define what is morally right in terms of the ends or interests of human beings. For instance, we all have an interest in being happy. So, a simple example of a teleological theory would be one that construes morally correct actions as those that promote/bring about happiness or pleasure.
