metaethics

American  

[met-uh-eth-iks, met-uh-eth-] / ˌmɛt əˈɛθ ɪks, ˈmɛt əˌɛθ- /

Or meta-ethics

noun

(usually used with a singular verb)

1. the philosophy of ethics dealing with the meaning of ethical terms, the nature of moral discourse, and the foundations of moral principles.

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Other Word Forms

• metaethical
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of metaethics

First recorded in 1945–50; meta- + ethics

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metaethics

Explain the importance of the Euthyphro problem for metaethics.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

Ethics is the broad study of morality and is often divided into metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

Moral relativism has taken many different shapes throughout the history of philosophy, and it is debated in popular discourses—especially politics and religion—as well as in metaethics.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

Zoë A. Johnson King is a philosophy faculty fellow at New York University who specializes in the philosophy of action, ethics, and metaethics.

From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2019

Philosophers, preoccupied for decades with metaethics, returned to the discussion of substantive ethical issues – the moral questions that concern the general public and, in particular, religious believers.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 8, 2011