Four basic categories of ethical philosophy
Posted on 2006-01-18 at 16:27
Normative
Associated mainly with absolutism, normative ethics tries to prescribe or describe a norm or standard of morality to which all people should be held. Often this is done through either an appeal to monotheism (i.e., He said so, therefore...) or statistical methods (i.e., All people everywhere believe x is wrong therefore x is wrong).
Teleological
Teleological (from the Greek telos meaning end or goal) is distinct from Deontological in that it stresses intrinsic value in some external thing relating to an act or intent. Usually that external thing involves a purpose from which the act either deviates from or aligns with or an end which can be said to be bad. Breaking a promise is wrong in that it is against God's will or produces bad effects but not because it simply is wrong, for instance.
Deontological
Deontological (from the Greek deon meaning duty) is distinct from Teleological in that it stresses intrinsic value in an act or intent without reference to its consequences. Breaking a promise is wrong in itself regardless of its consequences, for instance.
Autonomy
As Kant understood it, autonomy is the state of man. It is his freedom from influence---the ability to act from pure reason. Basically, he believes that man is rational and as a rational creature, it can act in accordance with a conception of laws (stopping at a stop light, for instance, as opposed to natural laws such as gravity) and when he chooses to obey those conceptualized laws, he is exercising his autonomy. Were he not to obey those laws, he would be acting heteronomously, that is, under another influence such as desire or natural inclination.