ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the use of ethical theory in analyzing practical problems and considers some implications of applied ethics for ethical theory. The general questions are whether, and if so how, ethical theory needs to be modified in view of the problems and work in applied ethics. One might characterize the apparent aim of normative ethical theory as providing one or a few a priori principles stating necessary and sufficient conditions for evaluating all conduct of a fixed number of coexisting normal adult humans of equal moral worth in a national society who will always comply with the principles. Ethical problems arise concerning the membership of mentally abnormal persons in the community of moral agents. Problem in theory construction is the assumption of ideal or strict compliance, that everyone will always comply with the fundamental norms. The final aspect of theory construction concerns the assumption of the a priori character of principles and the relevance of empirical information.
