This text explores philosophical ethics as the essential foundational discipline for all branches of applied ethics. It argues that philosophical ethics must be understood as a reflection on the basic assumptions and conditions underlying moral decision-making. These fundamental prerequisites cannot be simply constructed or derived from pre-existing moral laws that are considered given or imposed from the outside. If philosophical ethics is to be more than just human ethology, it must be capable of identifying the specific characteristics that distinguish moral decision-making from other types of volitional acts common to other living beings. The author asserts that this primary task involves recognizing and accepting the structure of the moral situation as a phenomenon in its full extent. This requires a willingness to avoid any initial reductionism of the phenomenon’s components, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of moral reality before further verification or theoretical application.