Philosophy 422/522

Prof. Katie McShane

Fall 2005

Ethics

Ethics: the study of right and wrong, good and bad

Normative vs. Descriptive

Normative claims prescribe (say what should be done) or evaluate (say what's good/bad).

Examples:

It's wrong to tell a lie.

You shouldn't tell a lie.

Lying is bad.

Normative questions ask for prescriptions or evaluations.

Examples:

Is it wrong to tell a lie?

Should I tell a lie?

Is lying really bad?

Descriptive claims describe (say how the world in fact is/was/will be).

Examples:

75% of Canadians believe that it's wrong to tell a lie.

One of the beliefs I have is that lying is bad.

I want to lie.

The Ten Commandments tell us not to lie.

People who lie are held in low esteem by others.

If I lie I am likely to lose my job, and I don't want to lose my job.

Descriptive questions ask for descriptions.

Examples:

Do Canadians think that lying is wrong?

Do you think that lying is bad?

Do you want to lie?

What do the Ten Commandments tell us about lying?

What consequences usually befall people who lie?

What consequences will befall you if you lie, and how do you feel about those consequences?

Ethics asks normative questions.

Not "What do people think is right?"

But rather "What IS right?"

It's not that ethicists think descriptive questions don't matter; it's just that in ethics, they aren't the end of the story.