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THE SPECTRUM OF ETHICAL SYSTEMS BY EPISTEMIC DEMAND – FROM THE SELF OUTWARD

CHARACTER
Virtue Ethics:
Epistemic Demand: Low. This approach primarily requires self-awareness and an understanding of what constitutes virtue in one’s culture or personal philosophy. It’s more about character development than specific knowledge of ethical theories.

Care Ethics (Ethics of Care):
Epistemic Demand: Low to Moderate. Understanding and accepting their own freedom to choose. It requires knowledge about relationships and empathy but doesn’t necessitate a deep understanding of formal ethical systems. It’s more about recognizing and responding to the needs of others.

CHOICE
Narrative Ethics:
Epistemic Demand: Moderate. It involves understanding the role of stories in shaping identity and ethics, which might require some knowledge of cultural narratives and literary analysis, but it’s still quite intuitive.

Rule-Based Ethics (Deontology):
Epistemic Demand: Moderate to High. This involves knowing the rules or duties one must follow, which can range from simple (e.g., “do not lie”) to complex (understanding Kantian ethics). It requires learning specific moral laws or principles.

Pragmatic Ethics:
Epistemic Demand: High. This approach demands a good understanding of practical outcomes in real-world contexts, which involves assessing what works best in specific situations based on experience and empirical evidence.

Outcome-Based Ethics (Consequentialism):
Epistemic Demand: High. To apply consequentialism, especially utilitarianism, one needs to predict outcomes, understand human happiness or well-being, and often calculate or compare different possible results, which requires significant knowledge about cause and effect.

COOPERATION
Contractualism or Contract Ethics:
Epistemic Demand: High. Requires understanding how to conceptualize fair conditions for agreement (like Rawls’ veil of ignorance), and the ability to abstract from personal interests to consider universal principles.

NEGOTIATION
Discourse Ethics (Communicative Ethics):
Epistemic Demand: Very High. Demands not only a deep understanding of ethical theory but also of communication theory, sociology, and philosophy of language to facilitate an ideal speech situation where all can participate equally and rationally.