Basic on Ethics research

Ethics is a nebulous subject.
Ethics has to do with duty - duty to self and others. It is private and personal, although it is related to obligations and duties to others. The quality of human life relates to both solitude and sociability.
(Part 1 The basics pg 3/4)

Different types of ethics :

• Kant : Follow predetermined rules and treat others as ends  and no means 
• The intuitivist : Followed by instint, metaphysical or mystical sense 
• The egoist : think of self first then the transvaluation of the person 
• The altruist : put self last and the community first in making ethical decisions
• The existentialist: are devoted to freedom,corage ,action and personal responsability
• The communitarian: seek group conversation, harmony,social stability and security
• The utilitarian: wants to maximaze happines and goodness 
• The machiavellian: desire pragmatic success in achieving desired ends, by any means neccesary .

2  main ethical emphases 

• Social or communitarian ethics : See individual or liberal ethics as dysfunctional to the community and generally based on personal quirks rather than on group-determined standars 
• Personal or individual ethics :

The importance of freedom in discussions of ethics 

Process of moral development :three main levels

1. First level is based on instinct , ethics comes from innate tendencies
2. Second level is based on custom , what seems right conduct is determined in accordance with the customs of the various groups to which he/she belongs 
3. Third level is based on conscience and is the highest level of morality. The conscience is developed by the persons own reasoning, building on custom and instinct .

Ethical Subjectivism or Emotivism 

Is the view  of ethics that says that our moral opinions are based simply on our feelings . No objective right or wrong exist. Is by far the most common form of relative ethics. Subjective ethicist who is saying that a certain action  is right is simply expressing personal approval or disapproval of an action. Serious moral philosophers through the ages have not  found subjectivism very convincing as an ethical theory ,seeing it more as a psycological manifestation than a rational view of morality. 

Machiavellian Ethics or Pragmatic egoism 

Intuitive Ethics 

Controversies in media ethics (Book)