Abstract

The understanding of ethics is determined by two considerations, a historical and a systematic one. On the one hand, ethics is to be understood as a philosophical discipline that was developed in classical Greek philosophy. Its topic is the question of the “good life”. It combines the striving for happiness with the claim of reason. With it, the framework is set within which all following ethical concepts will move (cf. Steinfath 2012). This becomes clear when one reflects on the systematic basis of ethics. It is located in anthropology. The corresponding thesis is: There is an intention in man for a “good life” that accompanies him throughout his life. Nevertheless, its realization is not guaranteed by instincts, i.e. by nature.