ETHICS Meta-Ethics Normative Ethics Applied Ethics Cognitivism/ Non-Cognitivism Universalism/ Relativism Empiricism/ Rationalism/ Intuitionism Deontology Teleology Virtue Ethics Bio-Ethics Environmental Ethics Business Ethics Sexual Ethics Social Ethics Moral Realism Ethical Subjectivism Meta-Ethics -branch of ethics that studies the nature of morality. COGNITIVISM states that moral judgments convey propositions, that is, they are ‘truth bearers’. NON-COGNITIVISM denies that moral judgments are either true or false. MORAL UNIVERSALISM theorizes that moral facts and principles apply to everybody in all places. MORAL RELATIVISM on the other hand, submits that different moral facts and principles apply to different persons or group of individuals. MORAL EMPIRICISM is a meta-ethical stance which states that moral facts are known through observation and experience. MORAL RATIONALISM contends that moral facts and principles are knowable a priori (using logic and reason to form conclusion before experience), that is, by reason alone and without reference to experience. MORAL INTUITIONISM submits that moral truths are knowable by intuition that is by immediate instinctive knowledge without reference to any evidence. Normative Ethics is the branch of ethics that studies how man ought to act, morally speaking. Deontology is an ethical system that bases morality on independent moral rules or duties. Teleology -refers to moral system that determines the moral value of actions by their outcomes or results. Virtue Ethics as a moral system, places emphasis on developing good habits of character, like kindness and generosity, and avoiding bad character traits, or vices, such as greed or hatred. Applied Ethics philosophically examines specific, controversial moral issues. Using philosophical methods, this area of concern in Ethics attempts to determine the ethically correct course of action in specific realms of human action. Bioethics is a field within applied ethics that focuses on ethical issues that relate to biology and biological systems. Environmental ethics is a branch of applied philosophy that studies the conceptual foundations of environmental values as well as more concrete issues surrounding societal attitudes, actions, and policies to protect and sustain biodiversity and ecological systems. Business ethics is a form of applied ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment. Sexual ethics is the study of human sexuality and sexual behaviour. In a word, it seeks to understand and evaluate the moral conduct of relationships and sexual activities from a philosophical perspective. Social ethics is the systematic reflection on the moral dimensions of social structures, systems, issues, and communities.
