Ethics Definition

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with questions of morality. The word ‘ethics’ comes from the Greek word ἠθικός, which means ‘relating to character’. Ethics is the study of right and wrong in human conduct. It is not concerned with the legality of actions, but with their morality.

There are three main branches of ethics: meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Meta-ethics is the study of the nature of ethical properties and concepts. Normative ethics is the study of how we ought to live our lives. Applied ethics is the application of normative ethical theories to specific moral problems.