Discourse Ethics: Principles and Application

Procedural ethics emerged in the 1970s. It shares similarities with deontological ethics, such as Kantian ethics, but differs in its approach. Unlike Kant, it posits that it is not a single person who must determine if a rule can be universalized, but rather those affected by it, using rational approaches. This is the foundation of discourse ethics, as developed by Apel and Habermas.

The starting point of discourse ethics is the recognition that people debate standards, and we seek to identify which ones are morally right. There are two distinct attitudes:

• Acting sicut without any desire to ascertain if the rule is correct.
• Taking the dialogue seriously, because we care about the problem and want to know if we can understand.

The first attitude renders dialogue absurd, while the second makes it meaningful, transforming it into a collaborative search for justice and the validation of the standard.

Meaningful Dialogue in Discourse Ethics

Discourse ethics seeks to discover the conditions that make rational arguments meaningful. It concludes that anyone intending to argue must assume that:

• All beings capable of communication are valid partners. Therefore, when discussing rules that affect their interests, they must be considered and allowed to defend themselves.
• Not every dialogue reveals whether a rule is correct, but only the one that adheres to rules allowing agreement between partners. This dialogue is discourse.

Principles for Validating Rules

To verify the correctness of a rule under discussion, two principles must be followed:

1. The Principle of Universality: This is a formulation of the Kantian imperative of universality, stating, "A rule is valid when all those affected by it can freely accept the consequences and side effects that would likely follow from its overall compliance, to the satisfaction of the interests of each."

2. The Principle of Discourse Ethics: According to this principle, "Only those rules can claim validity that could meet with the acceptance of all concerned as participants in a practical discourse."

The Ideal Speech Situation

The discourse described above occurs in an ideal speech situation. The aim is to build this ideal in various spheres of social life, such as applied ethics, including:

• Bioethics
• Business ethics
• Information ethics
• Ethics of technology
• Ecological ethics
• Political ethics
• Professional ethics