Meta Ethics

Meta Ethics is a particular area of study within ethics, as well as a technical term. The term meta-ethics is typically defined as the theoretical study of ethical values, principles and rules with the aim of providing an alternative to non-stance objects such as God’s will or human nature.

What are Ethics?

Ethics  is a study of abstract ideas of good and bad, right and wrong and what is moral or immoral. Ethics can be understood as the study of actions that people take toward one another, or toward society. Ethics also refers to the general concept that determines what to do and not do in terms of personal values.

Definition of Meta Ethics:

(Meta-) refers to the study of previously existing (meta-)ethical principles and values.  Meta Ethics are the study or theories of ethical principles and values; they are studied before they arise.

Why Meta Ethics?

The reason why meta ethics is so important is due to the fact that there is a general belief, which is false, that ethics can be studied without theory. The belief, which we will analyse below, consists of two postulates about ethics as science. We will also investigate briefly in this article whether these postulates can support a rational argumentation for these beliefs.

Need for Meta Ethics:

Meta Ethics is needed because even though many people who study ethics do so from their own particular point of view. There is no particular point to view that is universally accepted. The issue with this is that if we do not adopt a specific meta ethical position, we are left with the idea that there could be an “anything goes” attitude towards ethics within society. This means that people can hold any variety of positions on any ethical matter, and believe and behave according to these personal views (if they so desire), regardless of whether these actions violate conventional moral codes or not.

Meta Ethics as a science:

Meta Ethics also has its own distinctive characteristics, which sets it apart from other sciences such as metaphysics or the natural sciences. Meta Ethics mainly involves the study of ethical systems, theories and principles. Meta ethics are not concerned with the particular facts and figures of individual instances but the general principles arising from the examples.

How are Meta Ethics different from Applied Ethics?

Meta Ethics differ from Applied Ethics. This can be seen when we look at meta-ethics as being the study of ethical values, principles and rules, with the aim of providing an alternative to non-stance objects such as God’s will or human nature. On the other hand, applied ethics is concerned with how we are to act in specific circumstances. Applied Ethics involves the application of ethical principles to individual instances. Meta Ethics tries to find out what counts as right and wrong while applied ethics aims at further defining what is right and wrong according to our own individual preferences (or society’s conventional values). Meta Ethics does not directly apply to any particular situation and can be used with any branch of ethics. Applied Ethics is concerned with the application of ethical principles in specific situations.

Meta Ethics and Meta Normative Claims:

The ultimate goal of meta ethics should be to understand the fundamental issue or issue which is common across disciplines as well as all issues.  The Truth, Goodness and Beauty of a theory result from its ability to explain, predict and control human behavior, which leads to satisfying outcomes for human beings. Meta ethics can help us find out what the best outcome would be for society and how this can be made possible.

Theories of Meta Ethics:

Some of the most commonly accepted theories of meta ethics include:

1. Virtue theory:  Duties and virtues are the main focus in this theory. The virtue theory believes that people can be grouped into four different types, which have a variety of duties and virtues. Virtues are the positive qualities that make for an outstanding moral person, while duties are the negative qualities humans should avoid possessing. Each type of person in each category can be expected to possess different virtues and different duties, it is also believed that these four types will not mix with one another. For example, a young adult might not be capable of having children because they do not possess certain qualities that would allow them to carry out such a responsibility to their family.

2. The ethics of belief:  This is concerned with the belief in what people have faith in. Even though it may appear to be a kind of irrational behavior for people to follow things that they do not completely understand but still believe in, this is actually a normal occurrence in most areas of life, from believing that the products we buy to own will be good and last us a certain amount of time, to believing that our favorite sports teams will win their next game.

3. The ethics of consequences:  We are all familiar with how hurtful and devastating severe moral violations can be. For example, murder is one such act as it destroys family happiness, meaningful relationships and any sense of trust or compassion between human beings. This type of act cannot be justified because it is harmful to another person and does not serve any greater good. In this scenario, we are acting negatively as well as justly toward others.

4. The ethics of prioritization:  This type of approach to ethics involves a willingness to choose the best course of action, while at the same time valuing certain things over others and recognizing that most actions are inherently less valuable than other actions or states. To put it in simple terms, this kind of thinking presents an opportunity for people to choose what they believe is the best choice for them instead of being forced into this choice by an external factor such as one’s society or one’s family.

Significance of Meta Ethics:

A lot of the decisions we make in life are based on our beliefs about what is right and wrong as well as what is beneficial or harmful. Just to give you an example, someone may believe that raising children is good and beneficial, therefore they will have a child. On the contrary, someone who believes that raising children is harmful may not have a child because of this belief.

Conclusion:

Meta Ethics is still a developing branch of ethics. Each type of theory has its own pros and cons and each has the ability to give us a better understanding of the world around us. Meta Ethics is concerned with finding out what kinds of ethical theories are available to use, which ones are good or bad, and why one ethical theory might be more important than another. This type of thinking will allow people to be more confident in the decisions they make and will also allow them to understand how their actions can impact others around them. A person who believes in ethics will always find a way out of any problem.