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Definition:
The ethical theory of descriptivism argues that moral judgements are descriptive and not
prescriptive - that is to say, they describe the way things are instead of
prescribe the way things should be. To say that "killing is wrong" is to
describe the act of killing as having the attribute "wrong" and is not saying that
it would be nice if no one killed anyone else.
This conception of ethics is a form of ethical naturalism, because it means that all ethical statements can be proved from facts about the natural world. One of the problems with this theory of ethics is that even if one accepts a description as true, this provides no inherent reason for acting upon it. This, however, does not accord with our normal conceptions of ethical statements. Descriptivism can be contrasted with the ethical theory of prescriptivism.
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Related Resources:
What are Ethics and Morality?
Ethics is the formal study of moral standards and conduct. For this reason, the study of ethics is also often called "moral philosophy." What is good? What is evil? How should I behave - and why? How should I balance my needs against the needs of others?What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
