Philosophy › Section I · Normative moral theory › Topic I.1
What a normative moral theory requires
Everyone has moral opinions; a moral theory tries to organise them into a system that explains why right acts are right and helps us decide hard cases. Before comparing the major theories, it helps to know what job a theory is meant to do and how to judge whether it does it well.
In this topic
- From opinions to theory
- Three areas of ethics
- What a theory must supply
- Criterion versus decision procedure
- Standards for judging a theory
- Reflective equilibrium
- Worked example: testing a simple theory
- The main families of theory
- Worked example: one case, three verdicts
- Is any theory possible?
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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