What ethics is

We need at least a rough idea of what ethics is before we start work in moral philosophy.1 This is the only way to ensure we don’t make absurd assumptions, or miss objections that stem from the construction of the concept itself, or talk at cross-purposes, or draw trivial or useless conclusions. But most philosophers do not proceed this way. Only a few philosophers even attempt to say what ethics is, and their attempts are typically rudimentary and seem to fail in the face of obvious objections. Perhaps aware of this trap that lies in wait for the philosopher who dares to make a claim about what ethics is, most moral philosophers pretend there is no problem, and go ahead and write their metaethical, or normative, or applied ethical theories as if we all already know what ethics is, or as if we don’t need to know, or as if some other philosopher will come along later and do the difficult work our author postpones for the sake of more pressing commitments. Such moral philosophers must think either that no account of ethics is necessary, or that none is possible. In this chapter, I consider the progress analytic philosophy has made

towards answering the question of what ethics is. I begin with examples. Analytic moral philosophy is usually done at a very high level of abstraction. Examples are few and far between, and those that are given often increase uncertainty about what we are talking about, rather than resolve it.2 To avoid this particular source of confusion, I begin with a couple of long lists, one of examples which I think show what ethics is, another of examples which show what it isn’t. Some examples come from other philosophers, some are my own. First, examples which show what ethics is. A baby in a pram is rolling

down a hill towards a busy road. Someone sees the pram, and stops it.3

Some children are pouring petrol on a cat, planning to light it. An adult stops them.4 A boy at his dog’s first fight is crying. His father silences him, and explains ‘boys don’t cry’. A baby is hungry. Its mother notices, and feeds it. Another baby is hungry, soiled and cold. Its parents don’t respond, and it dies. A colleague is bullied at work. Someone notices, and stands up for her. A toddler is drowning in a pond. Someone wades in to save it.5 A beggar holds out her hand. Chloe gives her £5.