Applied Ethics vs. Descriptive Ethics

Attribute	Applied Ethics	Descriptive Ethics
Focus	What actions are right or wrong	What people believe is right or wrong
Goal	To provide guidelines for ethical decision-making	To describe and analyze existing ethical beliefs
Approach	Normative	Empirical
Prescriptive	Yes	No

Introduction

When it comes to the field of ethics, there are various branches that focus on different aspects of moral philosophy. Two key branches are Applied Ethics and Descriptive Ethics. While both are concerned with ethical issues, they approach them in different ways and serve distinct purposes.

Applied Ethics

Applied Ethics is a branch of ethics that deals with specific moral dilemmas and issues in various fields such as medicine, business, and technology. It involves the application of ethical principles to real-world situations in order to provide guidance on how to act morally in specific circumstances. Applied Ethics aims to provide practical solutions to ethical problems and help individuals and organizations make ethical decisions.

• Focuses on specific moral dilemmas
• Provides guidance on how to act morally in real-world situations
• Offers practical solutions to ethical problems
• Helps individuals and organizations make ethical decisions

Descriptive Ethics

Descriptive Ethics, on the other hand, is a branch of ethics that seeks to describe and analyze the moral beliefs, values, and practices of individuals and societies. It does not prescribe how people should behave, but rather examines how they actually behave and what moral principles they hold. Descriptive Ethics aims to understand the diversity of ethical perspectives and behaviors across different cultures and societies.

• Describes and analyzes moral beliefs, values, and practices
• Does not prescribe how people should behave
• Examines how people actually behave and what moral principles they hold
• Understands the diversity of ethical perspectives across cultures

Comparison

While Applied Ethics and Descriptive Ethics both fall under the umbrella of ethics, they serve different purposes and focus on different aspects of moral philosophy. Applied Ethics is concerned with providing practical guidance on how to act morally in specific situations, while Descriptive Ethics aims to understand and describe the moral beliefs and behaviors of individuals and societies.

Applied Ethics is more prescriptive in nature, offering solutions to ethical dilemmas and helping individuals make moral decisions. It is concerned with what should be done in a given situation based on ethical principles. Descriptive Ethics, on the other hand, is more descriptive and analytical, focusing on what people actually believe and how they behave morally.

Another key difference between Applied Ethics and Descriptive Ethics is their focus on theory versus practice. Applied Ethics is more concerned with the practical application of ethical principles to real-world situations, while Descriptive Ethics is more focused on understanding the underlying moral beliefs and values that inform people's actions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Applied Ethics and Descriptive Ethics are two important branches of ethics that serve different purposes and focus on different aspects of moral philosophy. While Applied Ethics provides practical guidance on how to act morally in specific situations, Descriptive Ethics seeks to understand and describe the moral beliefs and behaviors of individuals and societies. Both branches play a crucial role in the study of ethics and contribute to our understanding of moral philosophy.