Descriptive Ethics

Descriptive ethics can be referred to as a type of research that explores the distinctive characteristics and attitudes of social units like groups or at times individuals. It is empirical in nature and is a form of philosophical ethics which observes the morality behind individual or group decisions to describe a particular phenomenon or situation.

DESCRIPTIVE ETHICS

It is rather a scientific method that establishes a conceptual structure and tries to use this structural model to empirically understand the idea of morality, the moral idea that lies behind a certain decision making and also a moral phenomenon.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MORALITY AND ETHICS

One of the most common problems that arises when one talks about morality is how different morality is from the idea of ethics. It is so intricately attached that it becomes difficult to distinguish between the two. However, both the concepts are quite different from each other. 

In other words, it leads individuals to understand right from wrong, to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate and so on. For example, in the realm of business, there are certain sets of rules, principles or codes that one has to follow. This practice of using these sets of standards to establish a moral code can be termed as business ethics.

On the other hand, in simpler terms, it is the structural way of studying the idea of morality. It analyses a moral phenomenon or issue and tries to put forward a critical reflection of it. For example, the study of morality concerned with business would be termed as Business ethics.

DESCRIPTIVE ETHICS

Descriptive ethics can be broadly understood as an approach of study that involves understanding moral actions or phenomena that asks comparatively critical questions. It tries to reflect

1. how individuals try to understand moral conflicts,

2. the causes or guidance that leads then to behave in a particular wayside, ethically or unethically, 

3. What is the structure of belief and ideas that shapes an individual or leads a group in making their own set of choices

These types of questions are mostly explanatory and thus describes a certain moral behaviour.

THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO STUDY MORAL PHENOMENON AND ISSUES

NORMATIVE ETHICS – Normative ethics can be defined as a form of approach that tries to critically examine and in turn answer the underlying questions pertaining to right and wrong. It tries to reflect on what exactly sets right from wrong, appropriate from inappropriate and so on. Also known as ‘prescriptive ethics’ it provides a moral guidance to individuals so that they can ‘choose’ the most appropriate ethical or moral ways of living a socially acceptable life. As these approaches often engage themselves with philosophical or religious references, they at times provide specific guidance, frameworks or duties. There are generally two important questions that surrounds this idea of normative ethics –

1. What exactly is the idea behind ‘good’?

2. What does the idea of ‘right’ constitute of? 

In Aristotle’s work on ethics, we find the theory that answers the question of good. Whereas in theories of Kant, we find a greater perspective on the second question of right.

 It thus makes a clear observation how cognitive moral development is a factor in determining the ethical and moral choices that an individual makes in their life. Those who have had a significant amount of moral development show higher ethical and moral choices.

WHAT IS MORAL PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY?

KOHLBERG’S THEORY

In the 1950’s, Lawrence Kohlberg, did an extensive study on adolescent boys to understand their individual ways of thinking and resultant moral choices. From this seminal work of Lawrence Kohlberg, emerged the Theory of Cognitive Moral Development. This theory engages with how the cognitive development of an individual influences their moral choices and how they resolve a particular moral conflict. Kohlberg’s Theory is one of the most important theories in the realm of moral psychology. It has been used as an important structure to understand different individualistic choices based on their cognitive development. It has been widely used in different cultural setting and has also been used as an important variable in the study of moral psychology

CONCLUSION

Descriptive ethics, also denoted as comparative ethics, is research which empirically tries to delve deeper into understanding how people structure their ideas regarding morality and ethics. Researchers use the facts drawn from this form of research to reflect how people base their ideas about right, wrong, appropriate and inappropriate. It also tries to analyse the societal force that leads people into separating a particular idea from wrong to right. Though the entire idea of good and bad is relative, researchers have tried to invest themselves to understand how cognitive moral development influences the ethical choices of an individual.

Individual’s belief system, ideas, values and behaviour being a social construct, has time and again through history produced relative results in behavioural politics. However, many researchers and theorists, like Lawrence Kohlberg, have tried to understand how the social processes and environment as well as cognitive development of an individual has resulted in similar construction of morality and ethics, resulting in a particular set of choices that he leads by.