2. A conceptual cartography

Chapter 2 develops a conceptual cartography of four ideal-typical roles through which ethicists can contribute to democratic policymaking. Building on Roger Pielke Jr.’s framework for scientific advice, it adapts four advisory roles to the distinctive normative character of ethics. The framework is organised along two dimensions: deliberative versus agonistic conceptions of democracy, and foundational versus contextual-pluralist approaches to ethics. This results in four ideal types: the pure philosopher, who advances ethical theory; ethics advocate, who promotes policy from a specific moral framework; the ethics facilitator, who clarifies and structures normative disagreements without prescribing outcomes; and the engaged philosopher, who actively reframes debates to expand shared policy options. Illustrated through the case of animal welfare policy, these roles provide an analytical framework for understanding the diverse contributions ethicists can make to democratic public reasoning and serve as the conceptual foundation for the following chapters.