What normative ethics is
Theories of normative ethics try to answer: how should we act, and why? Which goals to pursue, which rules to follow, what kind of person to be.
There are three big groups of theories.
1. Consequentialism
For consequentialism, an action is right if it produces the best results. Consequentialist theories disagree about what counts as "best": more total well-being? Less suffering? More equality?
Utilitarianism is one kind of consequentialism, but not the only one. There's also debate about the focus: should we judge each act, or the rules we follow?
2. Deontology
Deontology works with constraints. For example: "don't kill an innocent person, even if it would save others." These constraints apply to the person acting, at the moment they decide.
They can be:
- absolute: they can never be broken;
- with limits: they can be broken if the consequences of respecting them would be too terrible.
3. Character-based ethics
These theories ask: what kind of person should I be? Acting well means acting the way someone with good character would. Virtue ethics and the ethics of care are examples.
Do they agree or disagree?
These theories disagree about a lot. But, as the next chapter shows, they also agree on important points, like consideration for beings that can feel.
In short
- Consequentialism looks at results.
- Deontology sets limits on what we may do.
- Character-based ethics asks what kind of person we should be.