The science or doctrine of dealing with cases of conscience, of resolving questions of right or wrong in conduct, or determining the lawfulness or unlawfulness of what a man may do by rules and principles drawn from the Scriptures, from the laws of society or the church, or from equity and natural reason; the application of general moral rules to particular cases.
source: Webster 1913
noun
argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading
source: WordNet 3.0
moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas
