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Secular ethics is a branch of moral philosophy in which ethics is based solely on human faculties such as logic, empathy, reason or moral intuition, and not derived from belief in supernatural revelation or guidance—a source of ethics in many religions.
Modern examples include humanism, freethinking, and most versions of consequentialism. Additional philosophies with ancient roots include those such as skepticism and virtue ethics . Greg M. Epstein also states that, "much of ancient Far Eastern thought is deeply concerned with human goodness without placing much if any stock in the importance ...
Humanism addresses ethics without reference to the supernatural as well, attesting that ethics is a human enterprise (see naturalistic ethics). [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Accounts of humanism are also careful not to treat secular humanism analogously with religions, which implies a community who strictly attempt to adhere to the same obligations or beliefs.
The word "ethics" is "commonly used interchangeably with 'morality' ... and sometimes it is used more narrowly to mean the moral principles of a particular tradition, group, or individual." [8] Likewise, certain types of ethical theories, especially deontological ethics, sometimes distinguish between ethics and morality.
For example, within Buddhism, the intention of the individual and the circumstances play roles in determining whether an action is right or wrong. [16] Barbara Stoler Miller points out a further disparity between the morals of religious traditions, stating that in Hinduism, "practically, right and wrong are decided according to the categories ...
Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. [1] A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is simply satisfying, which is held by many philosophers to be more important than traditional moral conduct.
The occult is a category of supernatural beliefs and practices, encompassing such phenomena as those involving mysticism, spirituality, and magic in terms of any otherworldly agency. It can also refer to other non-religious supernatural ideas like extra-sensory perception and parapsychology.
The supernatural is featured in folklore and religious contexts, [4] but can also feature as an explanation in more secular contexts, as in the cases of superstitions or belief in the paranormal. [5] The term is attributed to non-physical entities, such as angels, demons, gods and spirits.