Scientific Contribution. Empirical data and moral theory. A plea for integrated empirical ethics

Abstract

Ethicists differ considerably in their reasons for using empirical data. This paper presents a brief overview of four traditional approaches to the use of empirical data: "the prescriptive applied ethicists," "the theorists," "the critical applied ethicists," and "the particularists." The main aim of this paper is to introduce a fifth approach of more recent date (i.e. "integrated empirical ethics") and to offer some methodological directives for research in integrated empirical ethics. All five approaches are presented in a table for heuristic purposes. The table consists of eight columns: "view on distinction descriptive-prescriptive sciences," "location of moral authority," "central goal(s)," "types of normativity," "use of empirical data," "method," "interaction empirical data and moral theory," and "cooperation with descriptive sciences." Ethicists can use the table in order to identify their own approach. Reflection on these issues prior to starting research in empirical ethics should lead to harmonization of the different scientific disciplines and effective planning of the final research design. Integrated empirical ethics (IEE) refers to studies in which ethicists and descriptive scientists cooperate together continuously and intensively. Both disciplines try to integrate moral theory and empirical data in order to reach a normative conclusion with respect to a specific social practice. IEE is not wholly prescriptive or wholly descriptive since IEE assumes an interdepence between facts and values and between the empirical and the normative. The paper ends with three suggestions for consideration on some of the future challenges of integrated empirical ethics.

The Pedigree Dog Breeding Debate in Ethics and Practice: Beyond Welfare Arguments

“…The depth and variety of the case data however was well-suited to reveal patterns in perceptions and ways of reasoning, and with that inform existing theory (Persson and Shaw 2015). The comparison we made between ethical theory and practical reasoning explicitly was a two-way street: existing ethical literature provided sensitizing concepts (Bowen 2008;Blumer 1954) to design the study and analyse the case data, and on the other hand the empirical data importantly provided new input to our case with nuances and practical examples that-as we will show in this paper-can enrich how we think about and use ethical theories (Molewijk et al 2004).…”

Bioética, pesquisa qualitativa e equilíbrio reflexivo

“…Molewijk and collaborators 11 classify in five the approaches to integrate "descriptive" and "normative" in bioethics: Prescriptive applied ethics; theoretical approach; particularistic approach; prescriptive applied ethics; critical applied ethics and integrated empirical ethics 11 . Such classification is grounded on the matter of knowing if, upon analyzing a concrete investigation problem, the last discretion would be the ethical theory or moral experience of specific social groups related to a certain social practice.…”

What is empirical ethics?

“…4 Für das Programm der empirisch informierten ethik siehe auch Stephen Stich und John Doris [31]. 5 Siehe auch die ideen von bert Molewijk und Mitarbeitern über eine "integrierte empirische ethik" [21]. 6 Die beziehung zwischen normativer ethik und Business-Ethics wird bei Weaver und trevino [37] besprochen.…”