Meta Ethics
Meta according to the psychologists means ‘after’ or ‘beyond’ and the term Meta ethics may be demarcated as the study of the foundation and meaning of ethical concepts.It pursues the understanding of the nature of ethical properties, and ethical proclamations, approaches, and judgments.
This seems to be the base foundation of other branches of ethics such as normative and applied ethics. Because in itself it tries to understand, what ethics is all about, what are its areas of applications in the modern life. For example in law, Meta ethics can be applied to try to analyze a certain branch of ethics and its applicability to that situation as far as its properties, statements and verdicts are concerned.
Normative Ethics
Normative ethics is comprehended as the moral standards that regulate right or wrong. In other words it in a sense, it searches for a superlative test of apposite behavior.
A good example is the application of the Golden rule in the Bible, where it says,“Do unto your neighbor what you would expect them to do unto you”. E.g. stealing, I should not steal my friend’spossessions since I would not like them to steal mine too. Using that one is able to determine theoretically whether an act is right or wrong. Hence, it provides a single norm, which we judge all actions.
It somehow dictates our acts and virtues by which we do them, our obligations and the consequences of such obligations. E.g. in law the rules governing the land will be applied according to the virtues, our obligation and the consequences of such obligation as per the laws of the land.
Applied Ethics
Is a branch of ethics, which consists of the analysis of specific, contentious moral issues such as abortion, animal rights, or euthanasia. It generally asks questions about ethics. E.g. is it right for someone performs bestiality. Alternatively, is it right for a colleague to turn in a friend who is a robber? Applied ethics comes in when we want to evaluate a situation and come up with a solution regarding it. That is the proberbilities of an act being good or bad. E.g the killing of somebody simply because he has been in a comma for too long is it to be argued whether it is ethical to perform such an act or not.
Therefore applied ethics is the functional part of ethics whereby the evaluation of situations from an ethical point of view and coming up with a result on the same. Applied ethics do touch on most aspects of human life.
Decision ethics, applied in decision making;
Professional ethics, ethics applied in a professional environment to improve professionalism;
Clinical ethics, majorly applied to enhance positivity in our health needs;
Business ethics, enacted in an organization to shape morals of individuals in an organization and the organization itself;
Social ethics or principles amid nations and as one global component and it majorly concentrates on:
The functional penalties of various policies are analysed on the postulation that the right policy will be one which result in the greatest happiness (utilitarianism)
The ultimate consequence of should result always from an obligation that an individual has of doing the right action. (Deontological ethics)
The assertion that the right action will be that chosen by a suitably honorable or honest negotiator.
References
Fieser, J. (2003, June Sun). Internet Ensyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved Feb 13, 2011, from Internet Ensyclopedia of Philosophy: http://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/
Mackie, J. (1977). Inventing Right and Wrong. New-York: Penguins.
Tom, R. (2006). Meta-Ethics and Normative Ethics. The Hague, 10(01):154-160.
