Bioethics has made a compelling case for the role of experience and empirical research in ethics. This may explain why the movement for empirical ethics has such a firm grounding in bioethics. However, the theoretical framework according to which empirical research contributes to ethics—and the specific role(s) it can or should play—remains manifold and unclear. In this paper, we build from pragmatic theory stressing the importance of experience and outcomes in establishing the meaning of ethics concepts. We then propose three methodological steps according to which the meaning of ethics concepts can be refined based on experience and empirical research: (1) function identification, (2) function enrichment, and (3) function testing. These steps are explained and situated within the broader commitment of pragmatic ethics to a perspective of moral growth and human flourishing (eudaimonia). We hope that this proposal will give specific direction to the bridging of theoretical and empirical research in ethics and thus support stronger actualization of ethics concepts.

中文翻译：

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工具论者对伦理学概念原理的功能进行了分析：对经验和概念的协同增效的建议。

生物伦理学已经证明了经验和实证研究在伦理学中的作用。这可以解释为什么经验伦理学运动在生物伦理学上有如此坚实的基础。但是，经验研究对道德做出贡献的理论框架及其可以或应该发挥的具体作用仍然是多方面的，并且不清楚。在本文中，我们从务实理论出发，强调经验和结果在确立伦理概念意义方面的重要性。然后，我们提出了三个方法步骤，可以根据经验和实证研究来完善伦理概念的含义：（1）功能识别，（2）功能丰富和（3）功能测试。eudaimonia）。我们希望，该提议将为伦理学理论研究和实证研究之间的桥梁提供具体的指导，从而支持伦理学概念的更强实践。