Éthique

Éthique, or ethics, is the branch of philosophy that studies morality—principles and values that guide human conduct. It asks how situations should be judged, what obligations people owe one another, and what constitutes the good or virtuous life. The term derives from the Greek ethos, through Latin and French adaptations, and in French it denotes both the theory and practice of moral conduct.

Ethics is commonly divided into normative ethics, metaethics, applied ethics, and professional ethics. Normative ethics seeks theories about what makes actions right or wrong, with major traditions including deontology, consequentialism, and virtue ethics. Metaethics examines the nature of moral judgments, moral truth, and the meaning of moral terms. Applied ethics addresses concrete issues in areas such as medicine, business, environment, and technology, while professional ethics concerns the duties and standards that guide practitioners in fields like law, journalism, and health care.

Historically, ethical thought has roots in ancient philosophy, with Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle discussing virtue and the good life. In the modern era, Immanuel Kant argued that moral duties derive from reason, while utilitarians such as Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill emphasized consequences. The 20th century saw revived interest in virtue ethics, feminist ethics, and care ethics, as well as ongoing debates about the foundations of moral values and the role of culture.

Today, ethics interacts with law, science, and public policy. Contemporary debates address universalism versus cultural relativism, moral realism versus anti-realism, and how to govern advances in artificial intelligence, genetics, and climate policy in morally responsible ways.