• descriptivism is the belief that there is no objective basis for saying that something is ethically right or wrong. Instead, descriptivist ethics attempts to describe what people and cultures believe is ethically right or wrong.
• prescriptivism is the belief that there is an objective basis for saying that something is ethically right or wrong.

It is my observation that:

• People say an action is ethically right if they want to do that action and/or want other people to do that action, and...
• People say an action is ethically wrong if they do not want to do that action, and/or want other people not to do that action.

As such, I believe that prescriptivism is a thinly-veiled attempt to manipulate people into doing what the prescriptivist wants them to do by saying it is ethically right. So far I have found no objective basis for telling other people that any action is ethically right or wrong.

Instead, I think more honest discussions of ethics would arise from those involved taking responsibility for what they want and do not want. The fact is that most people want the same things, and while we often disagree on how to achieve those goals, it's obviously correct that we are more likely to achieve our goals if we cooperate with others.In this context, ethics can be viewed as a set of agreements we make with each other, rather than universal rules for behavior.