The Big Picture
You may be asking why we need a course to study that which is so subjective and personal? After all, each of us has a moral compass that guides us in our moment-to-moment decisions. It is tempting to think that as long as a decision vibes with our personal morality then the decision is, by nature, a good one. Moral philosophy, ethics, makes a distinction between ethics and personal morality. Let's take a look at one possible way to understand the difference:
What is Moral Philosophy?
In the following video, moral philosophy and its three disciplines are explained:You can also use the interaction below to learn about ethics and the major subject areas within ethics:
Knowledge Check
Supplemental Resources
Internet Encyclopedia Philosophy (IEP) Articles:
1000 Word Philosophy:
Thought Experiment
One of the "tried and true" approaches to teaching moral philosophy is to use moral dilemmas. Here is one that can help us differentiate between multiple metaethical and normative perspectives while appreciating the difference between personal morality and moral philosophy:
