1.
ethics; moral philosophy; the study of ethics
The branch of philosophy concerned with questions of right and wrong conduct, moral values, and the nature of the good life. Studied as an academic discipline at universities and in philosophy departments, distinct from the everyday sense of 倫理 (ethics, morals) that one might apply to personal conduct.
Formed from 倫理 (ethics, morals) + 学 (study of, -ology). The academic, systematic study of moral principles, as opposed to everyday moral intuitions.
Usage
- Primarily an academic term — used in university courses, textbooks, and scholarly writing.
- In Japanese high schools, a subject called 倫理 (often just "ethics" on the curriculum) covers introductory moral philosophy and Eastern/Western thinkers.
- Modifiers specify subfields: 応用倫理学 (applied ethics), 医療倫理学 (medical ethics), 環境倫理学 (environmental ethics).
Common collocations
- 倫理学を学ぶ: to study ethics
- 倫理学の教授: professor of ethics
- 倫理学の授業: ethics class
- 応用倫理学: applied ethics
- 西洋倫理学: Western ethics
Related words
- 倫理: ethics, morals — the subject matter rather than the academic study
- 道徳: morals, morality — overlaps with 倫理 but emphasizes social norms and rules of conduct
- 哲学: philosophy — the broader discipline that includes ethics
- 道徳哲学: moral philosophy — alternative, more Western-oriented name for the same field