Abstract

Ethics can generally be understood as the normative theory of moral reasons. It examines conditions for the possibility of ethical practice and formulates justifiable normative conceptions for the conduct of individual persons, as well as for the organisation of communities, and societal institutions.Throughout the course of the development of Western ethics, several approaches to the normative questions about morally good actions and how to lead a good life have emerged; the most prominent among them are virtue ethics, contractualism, deontological ethics or the ethics of autonomy, and consequentialism. In modern times, these approaches are confronted with a broadening political, cultural, and economic exchange due to the process of globalization. In order to meet emerging normative challenges, ethics has to be considered part of an intercultural discourse of reasons. This is the only way to transcend ideology and dogmatism and take into account the cultural pluralism of a globalized world.