Ethics and Moral Philosophy: Values, Norms, and the Good Life
The map of ethical theory
Know the three main normative families: consequentialism (rightness depends on outcomes; utilitarianism as its classic form), deontology (duties and rules; Kant's categorical imperative), and virtue ethics (character and flourishing; Aristotle's eudaimonia). Understand metaethics (are moral claims true? cognitivism vs. non-cognitivism; realism vs. anti-realism) and applied ethics.
Key concepts
Be able to explain the categorical imperative (universalizability, humanity as end), the greatest happiness principle, the veil of ignorance (Rawls) in moral reasoning, moral luck, moral relativism, and the distinction between consequentialist and deontological prohibitions (e.g., is lying always wrong?).
The good life
Know eudaimonia, the doctrine of the mean, Epicurean ataraxia, Stoic virtue, and the contrast between hedonism and perfectionism.
Traps
(a) Equating utilitarianism with selfishness - it is impartial maximization; (b) treating Kant's ethics as rule-worship without the autonomy of the will; (c) confusing descriptive relativism (people differ) with normative relativism (we ought to tolerate); (d) confusing virtue ethics with a mere list of virtues rather than a theory of flourishing.
Rule of thumb
When analysing a moral dilemma, identify the criterion of rightness the theory uses (outcomes, duty, character), then test the case against that criterion rather than against intuition alone.
Worked example: A lie that saves a life. A Kantian asks whether the maxim of lying can be universalized; a utilitarian asks whether the outcome is better than the alternative. The disagreement is about the criterion, not the facts.