Talking Philosophy

Practical ethics has only recently come into its own as a sub-discipline within philosophy. The development of interest among academic philosophers in the aesthetics of everyday life is somewhat analogous to the broader development in moral philosophy of "applied" or practical ethics. It is necessary to say a little about ethics so that we have a clear understanding of what we are doing when we discuss ethical questions. What is Ethics? .. What is Practical Ethics? ..     Ethics is the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a particular society requires of its members. Practical ethics is meant to concern substantive moral issues facing many of us each day, such as abortion or climate change. The subject of normative or theoretical ethics is the more abstract principles that might e...