The usefulness of concepts as a methodological point of reference in applied ethics

Abstract

Much of applied ethics is concept driven. By that, I mean that theorists and practitioners use stipulative definitions carrying normative content as points of reference in deliberations on real-world moral problems. Among applied ethicists, there are standards of justification of such concepts. That is, standards that form methodological rules determining to what extent any particular conceptualization is justified as a point of reference in any particular moral inquiry. Or so I argue in this paper.