This page gathers the 73 dictionary entries belonging to the domain “Ethics”, as labelled by Wiktionary. Each word leads to its full entry: definitions, etymology, pronunciation, examples.
- animal liberation noun A social movement dedicated to the advancement of the interests and rights of non-human animals, consisting of theorists and activists.
- animal liberationist adj Of or pertaining to the animal liberation movement.
- antihumanist adj Opposing humanism
- antispeciesism noun An ethical stance which opposes the unjustified consideration or treatment of sentient individuals who are not classified as belonging to a…
- applied ethics noun The branch of ethics that examines moral questions of right and wrong arising in specific areas of practical concern, as, for example, in…
- aretaics noun The ethical theory which excludes all relations between virtue and happiness; the science of virtue; contrasted with eudaemonics.
- beneficence noun A duty or obligation to act in the best interests of another, especially a patient or beneficiary.
- biotics noun The promotion of enjoyment and the reduction of suffering.
- business ethics noun The branch of ethics that examines questions of moral right and wrong arising in the context of business practice or theory.
- cardinal virtue noun One of the four foundational virtues identified by Greek and Christian philosophers, on which other virtues depend: justice, temperance…
- casuist noun A person who resolves cases of conscience or moral duty.
- categorical imperative noun A fundamental ethical principle intended as a guide for determining whether any contemplated action is morally right, based on the concept…
- clout list noun A usually secret list containing the names of people who are to be given special access, benefits, or influence in a political or social…
- code of ethics noun A list of statements or exemplars used by organizations to guide their members in differentiating between right and wrong and in applying…
- communitarianism noun The group of doctrines that oppose excessive individualism in favour of a more community-based approach
- comparative ethics noun A type of descriptive ethics, focused on studying the nature and origins of beliefs about morality held by people in diverse social or…
- consentability noun Ability to consent, particularly considering acceptability to society, age, and whether truly informed.
- consequentialism noun The ethical study of morals, duties and rights with an approach that focuses consequences of a particular action or cause.
- consequentializer noun An individual who consequentializes (converts a non-consequentialist moral theory into a consequentialist equivalent).
- convict verb To convince, persuade; to cause (someone) to believe in (something).
- deontology noun Synonym of ethics (“the study of principles relating to right and wrong conduct”).
- do no harm verb To perform no actions which will be injurious or in any way unfavorable to another person, regardless of whether one does anything of…
- dolour noun In economics and utilitarianism: a unit of pain used to theoretically weigh people's outcomes.
- effective altruism noun A philosophy and social movement that advocates the use of evidence and reasoning to determine the most effective ways to benefit others.
- effective altruist noun A proponent of effective altruism ("a philosophy and social movement that advocates the use of evidence and reasoning to determine the most…
- egoism noun The belief that moral behavior should be directed toward one's self-interest only.
- emotivism noun The meta-ethical stance that ethical judgments, such as those containing the words "should" and "ought to", are primarily expressions of…
- environmental ethics noun The branch of ethics that examines questions of moral right and wrong relating to the management, protection, or endangerment of the…
- Epicureanism noun The philosophical belief that pleasure is the highest good, particularly as advocated by Epicurus with a focus on mental pleasures and on…
- Eudaimonia noun In Aristotelian ethics, a condition of living a life of the highest virtue; the state of human flourishing, which is desirable in and of…
- evolutionary ethics noun Ethics - the study of principles relating to right and wrong conduct - that is informed yet not uniquely determined by sociobiology - the…
- expressivism noun The doctrine that moral statements such as "this is wrong" express a moral evaluation rather than a statement of fact
- expressivist adj Pertaining to or advocating expressivism, the doctrine that the primary function of moral sentences and sensation sentences (like "I am in…
- forechoice noun A motive which is in harmony or agreement with right desire.
- funishment noun A proposed treatment of criminals that would take them out of wider society (like a traditional prison) but without aiming to punish them.
- golden rule noun The principle that one should treat other people in the manner in which one would want to be treated by them.
- grease payment noun A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to…
- green-golden adj Of a business model, seeking a balance between environmental sustainability and economic profitability.
- hedonism noun The philosophical belief that prioritizes happiness, particularly sensual pleasure as the highest good in life.
- indeterminism noun The doctrine that all human actions are not so much determined by the preceding events, conditions, causes or karma as by deliberate choice…
- it takes two to make a quarrel proverb It takes two or more people to cause a quarrel; one cannot blame an argument entirely on the other side.
- limitarianism noun The belief that there should be limits on how much money or other resources any individual owns.
- longtermism noun An ethical theory, generally associated with effective altruism, which prioritizes improving the conditions of the long-term or distant…
- longtermist noun A believer or follower of longtermism (“an ethical stance which gives priority to improving the long-term future”).
- lubrication payment noun A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to…
- medical ethics noun The branch of ethics that examines questions of moral right and wrong arising in the context of the practice of medicine.
- metaethics noun The study of the nature and meaning of moral judgments, and the foundations and the possibility of ethical reasoning as such.
- moral code noun A written, formal, and consistent set of rules prescribing righteous behavior, accepted by a person or by a group of people.
- moral compass noun An inner sense that distinguishes right from wrong, functioning as a guide for morally appropriate behavior.
- moral imperative noun A practice, policy, or state of affairs which is required and justified by the fact that it is morally right.
- moral minimum noun A standard or principle upheld as indispensable for moral conduct, whether within a particular context or in general.
- neartermism noun An ethical theory which prioritizes improving the conditions of the present and near future, rather than thinking about the distant future…
- neartermist noun A believer or follower of neartermism.
- negative utilitarianism noun A form of utilitarianism that says we should minimize the total amount of aggregate suffering, or that we should minimize suffering and…
- nonnaturalism noun The metaethical view that (i) ethical sentences express propositions; (ii) some such propositions are true; (iii) those propositions are…
- normative ethics noun A branch of ethics concerned with classifying actions as right and wrong, attempting to develop a set of rules governing human conduct, or…
- Nuremberg defense noun An explanation offered as an excuse for behaving in a criminal or wrongful manner, claiming that one acted in this way because one was…
- occurrent adj Pertaining to occurrence; having to do with an occurrence.
- platinum rule noun The principle that one should treat people the way they want to be treated, as opposed to the way one wants to be treated by them.
- postconventional adj Belonging to the last of Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development, involving a social contract orientation and universal ethical…
- preconventional adj Belonging to the earliest of Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development, focusing on self-interest and on obedience for the sake of…
- pro-choice adj Supportive of a person's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion.
- reverse discrimination noun The discrimination against members of a historically dominant or majority group, often in favor of minorities or disadvantaged groups…
- right to choose noun The moral or legal entitlement of a pregnant person to make the full and final decision either to give birth to their child or to abort the…
- right to life noun The right of a human being to the continuation of his or her life.
- right to work noun The human right (the right of an individual) to have gainful employment.
- rule utilitarianism noun A form of utilitarianism that says an action is right as it conforms to a rule that leads to the greatest good.
- self-determination noun The ability or human right to make one's own decisions without interference from others
- sensualism noun The doctrine that gratification of the senses is the highest good.
- silver rule noun The principle that one should not treat other people in the manner in which one would not want to be treated by them.
- speciesism noun An ethical stance that assigns different worth or rights to beings on the basis of their species membership, such as assigning greater…
- subjectivism noun The doctrine that values and moral principles come from attitudes, convention, whim, or preference.
- utilitarian adj Pertaining to utilitarianism.