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Ethics Is The Study Of Right And Wrong Things Are Done By Thomas Nagel Essay

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Ethics is the study of right and wrong and can be thought of as almost identical to moral law. The word Ethics comes from the Latin word mos and the Greek word ethos, meaning ‘the way things are done’. Thomas Nagel, a professor of philosophy and Fiorello LaGuardia Professor of Law at New York University is a well-known writer of Ethics who provides an insightful perspective to ethical reasoning. Nagel believes there are objective moral truths; he claims one can perform a moral act that is defensible from "an external point of view" and cannot be reduced to an act arising simply from subjective or personal preferences. Objectivity and subjectivity must be clarified in order to grasp Nagel’s assertions. Objectivity is external and naturalistic; a universal sense for everyone. Subjectivity is internal and does not need any external authority. Given that the essence of objectivity and subjectivity is now understood; by looking at the argumentative evidence Thomas Nagel provides in his book The Last Word, one must examine how he establishes his belief of objective moral truths in natural law, reason, reflection, language, intentionality; and whether or not he is successful in doing so. The question which Thomas Nagel endeavors to answer regarding objective truth is stated in the beginning of The Last Word:

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"This discussion will be concerned with an issue that runs through practically every area of inquiry and that has even invaded the general culture- the issue of

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