Introduction

Central to the field of development ethics are seven broad goals or values that distinguish worthwhile development: well-being, equality, agency and empowerment, environmental sustainability, human rights, cultural freedom, and responsibility. Many people working in development are already making ethical observations and decisions; yet, to be legitimate, those decisions and observations must be justifiable through public reason. The practice of development ethics is inherently interdisciplinary and includes people working in development practice as well as people in many different academic disciplines. Philosophers have distinctive contributions to make in meta-ethics, normative ethics, applied ethics, and personal ethics.