Ethics as a science: definition, subject of ethics, object and tasks. The subject of ethics is ...

The study of the behavior of people and their relationships with each other was also occupied by philosophers of antiquity. Even then there appeared such a concept as ethos ("ethos" in the ancient Greek language), meaning cohabitation in the house. Later they began to denote a stable phenomenon or sign, for example, character, custom.

The subject of ethics as a philosophical category was first applied by Aristotle, giving it the meaning of human virtues.

The history of ethics

Already 2500 years ago, great philosophers defined the main features of a person's character, his temperament and spiritual qualities, which they called ethical virtues. Cicero, familiar with the works of Aristotle, introduced a new term "morality", which gave the same meaning.

The subsequent development of philosophy led to the fact that it separated a separate discipline - ethics. The subject (definition) studied by this science is morality and morality. For a long time these categories were given equal importance, but some philosophers distinguished them. For example, Hegel believed that morality is a subjective perception of actions, and morality is the actions themselves and their objective nature.

Depending on the historical processes taking place in the world, and changes in the social development of society, the subject of ethics has constantly changed its meaning and content. What was inherent in primitive people, it became unusual for the inhabitants of the ancient period, and their ethical norms were criticized by medieval philosophers.

Doantichnaya ethics

Long before the subject of ethics as a science was formed, there was a long period, which is usually called "preethics".

One of the brightest representatives of that time can be called Homer, whose heroes possessed a set of positive and negative qualities. But the general concept, what actions are related to virtue, and which are not, it has not yet formed. Neither the Odyssey nor the Iliad is instructive, but merely a narrative of events, people, heroes and gods who lived at that time.

For the first time the basic human values as a measure of ethical virtue were voiced in the works of Hesiod, who lived at the beginning of the class division of society. The main qualities of a person he considered honest work, justice and lawfulness of actions as the basis of what leads to the preservation and augmentation of property.

The first postulates of morality and morality were the statements of the five wise men of antiquity:

1. Respect the elders (Chilo);
2. Avoid injustice (Cleobel);
3. Gods glory, and parents honor (Solon);
4. Observe the measure (Thales);
5. Pacify anger (Chilo);
6. Promiscuity is a flaw (Thales).

These criteria required from people a certain behavior, and therefore became the first moral standards for people of that time. Ethics as a science, subject and tasks of which is the study of a person and his qualities, was only in the beginning.

Sophists and ancient sages

From the 5th century BC, in many countries, the rapid development of sciences, arts and architecture began. Never before this time so many philosophers were born, various schools and currents were formed, which paid much attention to human problems, their spiritual and moral qualities.

The most significant at that time was the philosophy of Ancient Greece, represented by two directions:

1. Amoralists and sophists who denied the creation of moral requirements for all. For example, the sophist Protagoras believed that the object and object of ethics is morality, a category that is unstable, changing under the influence of time. It belongs to the category of relative, because each people in a certain period of time have their moral foundations.
2. They were confronted by such great minds as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, who created the subject of ethics as a science of morality and Epicurus. They believed that the basis of virtue lies the harmony between mind and emotions. In their opinion, it was not given by the gods, which means that it is an instrument that allows one to separate good deeds from evil ones.

It was Aristotle in his work "Ethics" that divided the moral qualities of a person into two types:

• Ethical, that is, associated with temper and temper;
• Dianoethic - related to the mental development of man and the ability to influence passion with the help of reason.

According to Aristotle, the subject of ethics is 3 doctrines - about the highest good, about virtues in general and in the private, and the object of study is a person. It was he who introduced into the rim that morality (ethics) is the acquired properties of the soul. He developed the concept of a virtuous man.

Epicurus and Stoics

In opposition to Aristotle, Epicurus advanced his hypothesis of morality, according to which only that life that leads to satisfaction of basic needs and desires is happy and virtuous, for they are easily attained, which means that they make the person serene and all content.

The deepest trail after Aristotle in the development of ethics left the Stoics. They believed that all virtues (good and evil) are laid in man as well as in the surrounding world. The goal of people is to develop in themselves qualities that are related to good, and to eliminate the evil beginning. The most striking representatives of the Stoics were Zeno in Greece, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius in Rome.

Medieval ethics

During this period, the ethical subject is the promotion of Christian dogmas, as the world began to rule religious morality. The highest goal of man in the medieval era is service to God, which was interpreted through the teachings of Christ about his love for him.

If ancient philosophers believed that virtue is the property of any person and his task is to multiply them on the side of goodness in order to be in harmony with oneself and the world, then with the development of Christianity they became the divine mercy that the Creator endows people with or not.

The most famous philosophers of the time are Augustine the Blessed and Thomas Aquinas. According to the first, the commandments were originally perfect, since they came from God. He who lives by them and praises the Creator, will get to him to heaven, and the rest is prepared for hell. Also, St. Augustine said that there is no such category as evil in nature. It is done by people and angels who turn away from the Creator for their own existence.

Thomas Aquinas went even further, declaring that bliss in life is impossible - it is the basis of the afterlife. Thus, the subject of ethics in the Middle Ages lost contact with the person and his qualities, giving way to church ideas about the world and the place in it of people.

New Ethics

A new stage in the development of philosophy and ethics begins with the rejection of morality as the divine will given to man in the Ten Commandments. For example, Spinoza claimed that the Creator is nature, the cause of everything existing, acting according to its laws. He believed that in the surrounding world there is no absolute good and evil, there are only situations in which a person acts in one way or another. It is the understanding of what is useful and what is harmful for the preservation of life, determines the nature of people and their moral qualities.

According to Spinoza, the subject and tasks of ethics are the study of human shortcomings and virtues in the process of seeking happiness, and in their basis lies the desire for self-preservation.

Immanuel Kant, on the contrary, believed that the core of everything is free will, which is part of a moral duty. His first law of morality reads: "Do what in yourself and others always recognize the rational will not a means to achieve, but a goal."

Initially, the evil inherent in man (egoism) is the center of all actions and goals. To rise above it, people should show full respect for both their own and others' personalities. It was Kant who revealed the subject of ethics briefly and accessible as a philosophical science that stood apart from its other forms, creating formulas of ethical views on the world, state and politics.

Modern Ethics

In the 20th century, ethics as a science is a moral, based on non-violence and reverence for life. The manifestation of good began to be viewed from the point of not multiplying evil. Especially good this side of the ethical perception of the world through the lens of the good revealed Leo Tolstoy.

Violence breeds violence and multiplies suffering and pain - this is the main motive of this ethic. She also adhered to M. Gandhi, who sought to make India free without the use of violence. In his opinion, love is the most powerful weapon, acting with the same force and precision as the basic laws of nature, for example, gravity.

Nowadays, many countries have come to the understanding that the ethics of nonviolence gives more effective results in the resolution of conflicts, although it can not be called passive. She has two forms of protest: non-cooperation and civil disobedience.

Ethical values

One of the foundations of contemporary moral values is the philosophy of Albert Schweitzer - the founder of the ethics of reverence for life. His concept was to respect every life without dividing it into useful, higher or lower, valuable or useless.

At the same time, he recognized that, due to circumstances, people can save their lives by taking away someone else's. At the heart of his philosophy is a conscious choice of a person in the direction of preserving life, if the situation allows it, and not a thoughtless withdrawal from it. The main criteria for preventing evil Schweitzer considered self-denial, forgiveness and service to people.

In the modern world, ethics as a science does not dictate the rules of behavior, but studies and classifies common ideals and norms, a common understanding of morality and its significance in the life of both an individual and society as a whole.

The notion of morality

Morality (morality) is a sociocultural phenomenon that forms the fundamental essence of mankind. All human activities are based on ethical norms recognized in the society in which they live.

Knowledge of moral rules and ethics of behavior help individuals to adapt among others. Morality is also an indicator of the degree of responsibility of a person for their actions.

Ethical and spiritual qualities are brought up from childhood. From theory, due to right actions towards others, they become the practical and everyday side of human existence, and their violation is blamed by the public.

Ethical issues

Since ethics studies the essence of morality and its place in the life of society, it solves the following problems:

• Describes morality since the history of formation in antiquity to the principles and norms peculiar to modern society;
• Gives a characterization of morality from the standpoint of its "proper" and "existing" variant;
• Teaches people the basic moral principles, gives knowledge about good and evil, helps to improve oneself in choosing one's own understanding of "right life".

Thanks to this science, the ethical evaluation of people's actions and their relationships is built with an orientation toward understanding, good or evil is achieved.

Types of ethics

In modern society, people's activities in numerous spheres of life are very closely connected, therefore the subject of ethics considers and studies its various types:

• Family ethics deals with the relationship of people in marriage;
• Business ethics - norms and rules of doing business;
• Corporate studies the relationship in the team;
• Professional ethics trains and studies the behavior of people at their workplace.

Today many countries introduce ethical laws concerning the death penalty, euthanasia and transplantation of donor organs. As human society continues to evolve, ethics also changes with it.