A. What is applied ethics?
4. Given the time we have left in the semester, we’re going
to focus on only two example issues:
• Whether or not we are morally obligated to help the less
fortunate (especially those in other nations)
• Whether or not abortion is morally wrong
5. Why we haven’t spent more time on this:
• Often results in gridlocked or endless discussions
• Having some prior knowledge of some normative
theories helps give a framework for discussion
• Brings in issues that are not philosophical
E.g., a discussion about whether or not the death penalty
is morally OK may require sociological information about
its effectiveness, etc.