Meta, Applied and Normative Ethics

Running head: Meta, Normative and Applied Ethics 1 Meta, Normative and Applied Ethics Marco D. Vines Strayer University Professor Pionke CRJ220 April 14, 2012

Meta, Normative and Applied Ethics 2 Meta Ethics  A brief definition of Metaethics: A classification within western philosophy that attempts to discover the origin or cause of right and wrong. An example question within metaethics is: "How can we know what is right and wrong?" There are almost as many different answers as there are different people answering the question. Some individuals may say that right and wrong are dictated by holy books, or philosophy books, or political books, or by popular speakers, but there is not yet a good explanation within philosophy that can illustrate the origins and nature of right and wrong that is verifiable and acceptable to everyone.  Metaethics is also structured upon a foundation of believing that man’s upside-down manner of interpreting his world is a correct interpretation. As the reasoning behind the theories within Metaethics is based upon an incorrect interpretation of Nature, and thus, as it currently stands, Metaethics does not possess the potential of achieving the desired answers of ethics and morals. It is not possible for a man who “sees objects” to discern the nature of his world or even the nature of his own thoughts, but for the man who “sees light” and self-observes, he has the advantage of already knowing the origins of right and wrong because he remained conscious while his mental activities were in analytical progress. (http://www.ethicsmorals.com/metaethics, 2009) Naturalist and Non-Naturalist theories in Metaphysics approach the topic of right and wrong from several...