Ethics is a philosophical science.

This means that ethics is one of the many disciplines in

philosophy. In general, we can speak of four divisions or discipline sin philosophy namely:

 Descriptive/Speculative
 Normative
 Practical
 Critical

 DESCRIPTIVE/SPECULATIVE – is a discipline in philosophy that posits the question:

“What is the nature (essence and substance) of reality?
Example: Metaphysics – philosophical science of human beings)
 NORMATIVE – is a discipline in philosophy that posits the question: “What is good and
what is bad?” or “What is right or wrong action?”
Example: Ethics or Moral Philosophy
 PRACTICAL – is a discipline in philosophy which reflects upon truth in relation to
action.
Example: Logic - reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of
validity.
 CRITICAL – is a discipline in philosophy that posits the question: “What is truth?”
Example: Epistemology - the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods,
validity, and scope. Epistemology is the investigation of what distinguishes justified
belief from opinion.