Etiken

Etiken, a term used in several Nordic languages to denote "the ethics," refers to the field concerned with moral principles that govern how people ought to act. It involves questions about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and how moral judgments should be justified and defended.

Normative ethics, a central branch, seeks to establish standards for conduct, through approaches such as deontology, which emphasizes duty; utilitarianism, which prioritizes overall welfare; and virtue ethics, which focuses on character. Meta-ethics examines the nature of moral truths, language, and justification, while applied ethics translates theories into practical guidelines for domains like medicine and business.

Applied ethics covers professional ethics (codes of conduct for lawyers, doctors, engineers), bioethics, environmental ethics, business ethics, and increasingly AI ethics and data privacy. These fields rely on ethical theories to assess policies, regulate behavior, and resolve conflicts between competing values.

Ethical thought has roots in ancient philosophy and religious traditions, but modern etiken also engages with secular and pluralist perspectives. Cultures differ in moral intuitions and decision rules, making cross-cultural ethics a dynamic and contested field.

Education, policy, and organizational governance often rely on codes of ethics and ethics committees to support decision-making and accountability. As technology and globalization raise new questions, etiken remains a central reference point for evaluating the moral implications of actions and institutions.