David Cox – Moral Philosophy, Ethical Theories, and Applied Ethics

About the presentation:

To be alive is to reside in the expanse of constant choice. Choice about how to live and choice about what to value. Ethics. Moral philosophers have long debated how we know what choice is right and why that choice is best. When observed over time, patterns of ethical choice and justification aggregate into ethical theories that can guide ethical decision-making in novel scenarios. Ethical theories become practically relevant in the domain of applied ethics – the application of ethical theory and moral philosophy to real-world decisions made under time constraints, with missing information, and socially significant uncertain consequences. Far from esoteric and abstract, ethical theories have direct relevance for everyday ethical decision-making in professional practice. This presentation reviews common ethical theories, research on ethical decision-making, and how ethical theories and research help practitioners develop systems to improve their professional practice.