The word 'ethics' signifies a moral ground, an existence based on morals and principles and values. It lays down the foundation for the basic code of conduct. There are two main branches of ethics, metaethics and normative ethics. When we talk about 'being ethical' or 'he is an ethical person', we talk about the rules he has laid down for himself, and how sincerely he follows them. This is the layman's perspective. It is a general viewpoint to follow certain regulations, to state some actions as good and some as bad, to live in a civilized society. But, ethics comprise further discussion about different reactions and beliefs in different situations, since a person changes as per circumstances. The comparison of metaethics vs. normative ethics is outlined below.

• Metaethics discusses ethical claims, it seeks the answers to the nature of ethics, judgments, and moral statements.
• An ethical claim may have been made while keeping certain factors in mind. It may or may not be correct.
• At the end of the day, it is to be remembered that every individual has a different perspective, therefore, an ethical claim may or may not justify an action. It may not be appropriate to form judgments based on such statements.
• An example of metaethics would be a statement, like "Abortion is wrong.".
• Metaethics digs deeper into why this claim has been made, why it is wrong, what were the circumstances that led to this statement, etc.
• Furthermore, it delves into the meaning of the moral term and the evidence in its favor or against it.

• The word 'normative' signifies 'norms' or 'rules' to be followed. The definition of normative ethics can be stated as laying certain rules about good and bad, and following them diligently.
• That is to say, a person may analyze his actions and classify them as 'good' or 'bad' based on the norms.
• It may not be necessary that the good actions indicate a good person or bad actions indicate that the person is bad. However, many of us who lay down the norms tend to follow the same.
• It is to be remembered that norms may be regularized as per situations.
• An example of normative ethics would be when a person questions, "Is it correct to abort my child?".
• Someone who religiously makes anti-abortion claims may state that it is wrong. The woman herself may have been taught that it is a wrong action. Therefore, in her own opinion, if she goes ahead with the task, she would classify herself as a bad person.
• The question is, however, what if she is a teenager? Or she is an unwed mother? Would it be fair to the child to be raised in unpleasant circumstances? This is a case where metaethical claims may help question the norms.

Normative ethics appear to have a practical view, to a certain extent. They deal with 'ought to or ought not to', i.e., statements like should a person go ahead with an action or not, is it the right thing to do, etc. Metaethics, on the other hand, have more of a philosophical connection, having a strong relation to underlying reasons of ethical claims. The relationship between metaethics and normative ethics is again, based on individual perceptions. Some experts state that the entire discipline of ethics is centered towards metaethics. On the contrary, there would be no definite explanation of being ethical without following norms. It would perhaps, make a little sense to state that metaethics encompass normative ethics, that is to say, by extension, the latter forms a fundamental base, while the former helps solve the latter's problems (to an extent).