Lesson 1: Terminology used in the topics and its basic definition and application

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.

So based on the categorizations above, ethics as a philosophical science is a Normative

Philosophy. But what makes ethics as a normative philosophy a science?

Ethics is a science (normative science) because it systematically establishes standards or norms of

human conduct. It, therefore qualifies human conduct as to whether it is good or bad and right or wrong.
After it qualifies human conduct, ethics also requires a definitive human conduct. This means that it
requires man to act properly as a human being. And to act properly as man, ethics idealistically
requires man to do what is good and what is right.