1.3 chapter 1

Normative ethics

• was prevalent until the end of 19th century. It begins by asking what things are good and what things are bad, and what kind of behaviour is right and wrong.
•  decides how people ought to act, how moral choices should be made and apply.
• these decisions may come from an established group or culture, such as the Christian tradition, or they may be based on some philosophical or ideological way of thinking of thinking.
• this is the traditional way of doing ethics,
• a normative ethical question question would be 'Is sex before marriage right?'.

Descriptive ethics

• describes and compares the different ways in which people and societies have answered moral questions. 
• can be described as moral sociology or moral anthropology.
• example: 'what do the Christian and Muslim traditions believe about sex before marriage?'

Meta-ethics/philosophical ethics

• explores the meaning and function of moral language.
• examples: 'What do we mean when we…