Descriptive Ethics
Descriptive ethics, also known as comparative ethics, is a branch of the philosophical study of ethics that seeks to uncover and describe what people believe about moral issues. It is fundamentally concerned with gathering data regarding people's ethical beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, and it examines these beliefs as they actually exist, rather than prescribing how people ought to behave. This area of ethics is distinctly empirical and is often associated with fields like anthropology, sociology, and history.
Distinction from Normative Ethics
Descriptive ethics is often contrasted with normative ethics, which is concerned with establishing what ought to be done, what is right or wrong, and how moral decisions should be made. Normative ethics is prescriptive and evaluative, whereas descriptive ethics is purely descriptive and empirical. Descriptive ethics asks the question, "What do people think is right?" whereas normative ethics seeks to determine what actually is right or wrong.
Methodology
The research methods used in descriptive ethics involve gathering data through various means such as surveys, interviews, and observation. Researchers may analyze texts, including historical documents, religious texts, and legal codes, to understand the moral beliefs of different societies. The goal is to generate a comprehensive understanding of how moral concepts are understood and practiced across cultures and throughout history.
Applications
Descriptive ethics can provide valuable insights in various domains beyond philosophy. For instance, in business ethics, descriptive studies can help organizations understand the ethical climate of their workplace and the ethical perceptions of their employees. In evolutionary ethics, descriptive ethics aids in understanding how moral behavior might have evolved in humans and other species.
Related Fields
- Meta-ethics: This field investigates the nature, meaning, and foundations of ethical concepts.
- Applied Ethics: This branch deals with the application of ethical theory to real-world issues.
- Moral Psychology: This area studies how people think about morality, moral development, and moral behavior.
Descriptive ethics, by focusing on the empirical aspects of human morality, provides a rich foundation for understanding the diverse and complex nature of moral beliefs and practices around the world.