Normssiðfræði

Normssiðfræði, often translated as normative ethics, is a branch of moral philosophy concerned with establishing criteria for determining which actions are morally right or wrong. It seeks to provide a framework for moral judgment and to guide human conduct. Unlike meta-ethics, which analyzes the meaning of ethical terms and the nature of moral judgments, normative ethics focuses on developing theories that prescribe how people ought to behave.

There are several major approaches within normative ethics. Consequentialism, for example, asserts that the morality of an action is determined by its outcomes or consequences. Utilitarianism is a prominent form of consequentialism, arguing that the best action is the one that maximizes overall happiness or well-being. Deontology, on the other hand, emphasizes duties, rules, and obligations as the basis for morality, irrespective of the consequences. Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative is a well-known deontological principle. Virtue ethics, another significant approach, shifts the focus from individual actions to the character of the moral agent, emphasizing the cultivation of virtues like honesty, courage, and compassion.

Normative ethical theories aim to provide a systematic way to resolve moral dilemmas and to justify moral claims. They are foundational to applied ethics, where these general principles are used to address specific moral issues in fields such as medicine, business, and environmentalism. The ongoing debate between these different normative approaches reflects the complexity of moral reasoning and the challenge of finding a universally accepted foundation for morality.