New Foundations for Ethical Theory

There are philosophers who believe they really tell us how we ought to behave, and there are philosophers who believe they ought to tell us how we really behave. There are also philosophers of a more convenient sort, who only wish to tell us something about ethical theories. The doctrines advocated by these three kinds of philosophers all belong to the wide domain of ethics, and they are easily confused. However, we shall try not to confuse them here, and for that purpose, we may put them under three distinct headings: 1. ethical theory proper 2. the psychology and sociology of morals 3. moral philosophy