léthique

Éthique, or ethics, is the branch of philosophy that investigates the norms, values, and reasons that guide human conduct. It asks what makes actions right or wrong, what counts as a good life, and how moral judgments can be justified. In academic usage, ethics is often divided into descriptive ethics, normative ethics, applied ethics, and meta-ethics, each addressing different questions about moral life.

The term derives from the Greek ethos, via the Latin ethica and the French éthique. It emerged in classical philosophy and gained prominence in debates over rational justification and the universality of moral norms. The distinction between ethics and morality is subtle and varies by language; broadly, ethics is the discipline that studies right conduct, while morality refers to the beliefs and practices themselves.

Normative ethics seeks general rules and principles. It includes deontology, which emphasizes duties; consequentialism and utilitarianism, which focus on outcomes; and virtue ethics, which centers on character. Meta-ethics examines the nature of moral truth, reason, and language. Applied ethics brings ethical theory to concrete domains such as bioethics, business ethics, environmental ethics, and technology ethics.

Historically, ethics has developed from antiquity through modern and contemporary periods. Ancient Greek thinkers like Socrates and Aristotle laid foundational ideas; medieval scholars such as Thomas Aquinas integrated ethics with theology; modern philosophers such as Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill advanced deontology and utilitarianism; 20th-century figures like John Rawls and Peter Singer expanded inquiries into fairness and global welfare.

In practice, ethics informs professional codes, research consent, public policy, and corporate governance. Ongoing debates address moral relativism, cultural pluralism, and the pursuit of universalizable principles amid diverse value systems.