Whatever action contributes to the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people affected is the right action to take.
"What do bears have to do with philosophy and ethics?"
Ethics is a branch of philosophy, not a branch of science (although scientists can still strive to be ethical).
Philosophy is not supposed to betray people
Soko Yamaga has written: 'Yamaga Soko zenshu' -- subject(s): Ethics, Japanese Philosophy 'Yamaga Soko zenshu' -- subject(s): Ethics, Japanese Philosophy 'Yamaga Soko zenshu' -- subject(s): Ethics, Japanese Philosophy 'Yamaga Soko zenshu' -- subject(s): Ethics, Japanese Philosophy 'Yamaga Soko zenshu' -- subject(s): Ethics, Japanese Philosophy 'Yamaga Soko zenshu' -- subject(s): Ethics, Japanese Philosophy 'Yamaga Soko zenshu' -- subject(s): Ethics, Japanese Philosophy
No, Ethics is a branch of philosophy.
Brenda Almond has written: 'Introducing Applied Ethics' 'Ethics and education' -- subject(s): Ethics, Philosophy, Education 'Exploring philosophy' -- subject(s): Introductions, Philosophy 'The Philosophical Quest' 'Education and the individual' -- subject(s): School choice, Education and state, Academic freedom 'The philosophy quest' -- subject(s): Introductions, Philosophy 'Exploring ethics' -- subject(s): Ethics
Ethics
Marvin Fox has written: 'Collected essays on philosophy and on Judaism' -- subject(s): Jewish Philosophy, Jewish ethics, Jewish philosophers, Judaism 'Interpreting Maimonides' -- subject(s): Ethics, Jewish Philosophy, Jewish ethics, Medieval Philosophy
Debika Saha has written: 'Moral language' -- subject(s): Ethics, Language and ethics, Semantics (Philosophy) 'Moral language' -- subject(s): Ethics, Language and ethics, Semantics (Philosophy)
W. R. Sorley has written: 'A history of English philosophy' -- subject(s): English Philosophy, History 'The ethics of naturalism' -- subject(s): Ethics, Evolutionary Ethics 'Recent tendencies in ethics' -- subject(s): Ethics 'On the ethics of naturalism' -- subject(s): Ethics, Evolutionary Ethics
Hedon.
The idea that a person studying ethics in moral philosophy is just going to end up running into misconception after misconception.