Human beings are confronted with numerous issues throughout his or her lifetime that would require him or her to examine the best action to take to avoid the damaging consequences. In most cases, individuals restrain his or her action to take into consideration the consequences that may lead to the right or wrong behavior. One’s ethical and moral standards are first learned at an early age from his or her culture, how he or she is raised, religious background, and social system. Scientifically, there are various ethical theories, such as the virtue theory, deontological ethics, and utilitarianism (Boylan, 2009). By understanding these theories one can compare, contrast and uncover the reasoning behind his or her ethical and moral standards. Virtue theory defines what it takes to be a good person and above all else one’s character matters most (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2014). This theory focuses on the person’s moral character rather than duties. A virtuous person is someone who acts just in situations throughout his or her lifetime because of their good character (Boylan, 2009, p. 133-139). An example of a virtuous person would be a priest. A virtuous person does not act to gain favors, but only to do their duty. Individuals who practice virtue theory ponders questions like; how should one live, what is a good life or what are proper social and family values. The deontological ethics approach accentuates one’s duty to rules (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2014, para. 1). The morality of an action is based on following rules. The “rules” help guide individuals morally in decision making. Therefore, the person should make a moral choice as long as he or she sticks to the guidelines. The third approach is the utilitarianism,... ... middle of paper ... ... theory because I knew my friend needed immediate medical attention. The fear of breaking the law by getting a ticket was no longer an issue because the outcome was for the greater of good. Virtue theory, deontological ethics and utilitarianism addresses ethics and morality. Each theory has different views and also many similarities. When an individual is faced with a choice to make a right or wrong decision, they must rely on these theories to make the proper choice. Works Cited Boylan, M. (2009). Basic ethics: Basic ethics in action (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2014). Deontological ethics. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/158162/deontological-ethics Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2014). Virtue ethics. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1162994/virtue-ethics
In this essay, the author
- Describes how they broke the law by speeding to the hospital to get a friend the medical attention she needed. they followed the utilitarianism theory because the outcome was for the greater of good.
- Explains that virtue theory, deontological ethics, and utilitarianism address ethics and morality. each theory has different views and also many similarities.
- Describes boylan, m., basic ethics in action, 2nd ed.
- Explains that human beings are confronted with numerous issues throughout their lifetime that require them to examine the best action to avoid the damaging consequences.
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- Normative ethics is a central part of the philosophical exploration of ethical theories and is the study of what is right and wrong (Encyclopedia Britannica). Its study is a powerful tool in determining the basis and course of moral actions as it explores moral choices rather than the language or origins of morality; for this reason it falls under the category of applied ethics. While normative ethics is a broad term that encompasses many schools of thought, it is generally thought to be broken down into three categories: the school of virtue ethics, deontology and teleology (or consequentialism). Virtue ethics is exemplified by Aristotle’s view of ethics and can be briefly summarized as pointing to moral character and virtuous living as the right thing to do. This delineates it from the deontological schools (e.g.; Kant’s Categorical Imperative) which emphasize certain rules or obligations which are necessarily moral for reasons separated from people and consequences. Consequentialism focuses on the consequences of the actions to judge moral value; utilitarianism is an example of this school and states that the right thing to do is what maximizes overall utility (Hursthouse, Rosalind, Stanford Encylopedia). These different branches are often philosophically challenged in discourse and also in real life examples of moral dilemmas. Their distinct approaches to judging morality in our world make them mutually exclusive theories. However, in application, our world presents us with moral situations that are often so convoluted that strictly adhering to one of these theories can create serious moral dilemmas. An important case is how humans should approach the problem of global climate change. Evidence points to the majority ...
In this essay, the author
- Explains normative ethics is a central part of the philosophical exploration of ethical theories and is the study of what is right and wrong.
- Argues that the correct response to climate change would entail a formation of policies grounded in utilitarianism principles but aided by deontology and virtue ethics.
- Explains that the evidence for man-made climate change is overwhelming. the greater the concentration of ghgs, the longer it takes for uv rays to leave earth's atmosphere which leads to catastrophic effects such as the melting of ice sheets and the extinction of certain species.
- Analyzes how gardiner's research has been central to the nascent field of climate change ethics.
- Argues that ethical theorists are having trouble finding fair solutions to climate change. henry shue proposes the polluter pays principle, which addresses the issue of fair distributing the cost of pollution while alleviating the burden off of the poor.
- Opines that it is foolish to say that there is one definite way to address the problem of global warming head on.
- Explains that policy reform is the first logical place to start when tackling a project of this magnitude. global policy measures are often suggested by the ipcc and conferences like the kyoto protocol.
- Explains that utilitarianism is a view in normative ethics that states that the morally right thing to do produces the most utility or happiness. john stuart mill changed this line of thinking by placing different weights on pleasures and sources of pain
- Argues that climate change policy should be approached from a utilitarian point of view.
- Argues that the right thing to do would be to continue to industrialize and in turn pollute, which would create jobs, better technology, and lead to an overall increase in standard of living.
- Argues that ldcs should raise their emissions quotas to create a more equal standard of living. the utility gained by allowing the world’s poorest to have basic necessities would outweigh the losses incurred by the developed nations.
- Argues that utilitarian standards are best to encourage policy makers to work towards a goal, which is to maximize utility and minimize economic impact of climate change disasters. rawls' social contract theory is deontological in nature.
- Explains rawls' "veil of ignorance", which states that one should imagine a world in which each citizen is blind to the type of future they may achieve.
- Argues that the establishment of a socially accepted set of guidelines and policies is only half the problem we face in tackling this issue.
- Argues that normative ethics, consequentialism, and virtue ethics can complement each other when studying applied ethics.
- Describes hursthouse, rosalind. "virtue ethics." stanford encyclopedia of philosophy.
- Opines that parfit, derek, energy policy and the further future: the identity problem, oxford university press, 2010.
- Cites driver, julia, the stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, edward n. zalta.
- Describes alexander, larry, and zalta's "deontological ethics" in the stanford encyclopedia of philosophy.
- Cites rauscher, frederick, and zalta's stanford encyclopedia of philosophy.
- Describes sandel, michael j. justice: what's the right thing to do?
- Describes höhne, niklas, et al. contributions of individual countries’ emissions to climate change and their uncertainty.
2957 wordsRead More - The primary ethical theories are utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. Each theory places emphasis on a different aspect of an issue; the emphasis is dependent on which theory is applied, and is placed on one of the following: consequences, actions, and actors. In addition, because each theory has a different focus, different facets of morality must be applied for each theory; those being values, norms, and virtues. Values are “lasting convictions or matters that people feel should be strived for in general,” and are often formed through a person’s upbringing and experiences (Poel and Royakkers 72). Norms are “rules and agreements about how people are supposed to treat each other,” and typically are formed based on specific values (Poel and Royakkers 74). Virtues are parts of a person’s character that are “manifested in how that person acts toward himself/herself and others,” and can be described as a “mean between two extremes” (Rahmoeller 32). By using the main ethical theories to analyze the consequences...
In this essay, the author
- Explains the need for a set of guidelines that are consistent with ideals of the majority of individuals. ethical analysis is applied in the form of ethical theories.
- Explains utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. each theory places emphasis on a different aspect of an issue.
- Explains utilitarianism, which is characterized by the fact that it measures the consequences of actions against one value: human pleasure, happiness, or welfare.
- Explains that deontology analyzes the action taken and if it is in accordance with societal norms using two different principles.
- Explains that virtue ethics focuses analysis on the person taking the action by identifying the motive or intent that they have.
- Explains that each of the three main ethical theories focus on a different aspect of an issue.
907 wordsRead More - Sanctity of Lifeanalytical essayAnthony Weston has taught ethics for 25 years and currently is a professor of ethics at Elon University. He has written numerous books regarding ethics and the employment of them. This book is a guide discovering ethics, their morality, and application. He utilizes vivid excerpts from renowned authors and philosophers to impart information effectively. While reading this book, one discovers new concepts about the world around one and oneself. Weston credits collaborative professors of similar studies, with helping produce this book in the beginning of the text. Information taken from Weston’s book was crucial for understanding ethics, especially the excerpt from Kant’s Grounding for the Metaphysics Morals.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the conflict between sanctity of life and murder.
- Explains that sanctity of life is the deciding factor of both embryonic and organ harvesting dilemmas. sacrificing a person devalues him or her, by ignoring their potential and right to life.
- Analyzes how sanctity of life compels one not to sacrifice an innocent human life, potential or existing, to improve the well-being of another.
- Explains that anthony weston's a 21st century ethical tool box is a guide discovering ethics, their morality, and application.
1001 wordsRead More - Explain The Modern Virtue Theoryexplanatory essayThe Duty Based Theory was made widely popular by German philosopher Immanuel Kant, who is extensively considered to be one of the most central figures of modern philosophy, though criticized for his influence on German philosophical views on moral patients during World War Two. Rather than focusing on the morality of “being”, as the Virtue Theory does, the Duty Based Theory focuses on the morality of “doing”. This aims to increase happiness to its most intense, maximum level, which is also seen in Utilitarianism as well. It focuses less on what one actually is (i.e., their internal moral character) and more on what they act on (i.e., following
In this essay, the author
- Explains that modern western ethics is comprised of four main theories: virtue ethics, deontology, consequentialism, utilitarianism, and feminist ethics.
- Explains that the virtue theory was popularized by greek philosopher aristotle and is based solely on one's individual character.
- Explains that aristotle's virtue theory was based on the virtues themselves, and the vices that go along with them.
- Explains that deontology contradicts the virtue theory in innumerable ways. the duty based theory focuses on the morality of "doing".
- Explains the duty based theory, a theory based on one's duty to act morally. it relies on moral and ethical rules and people’s obligation to follow them without fail.
- Explains immanuel kant's theory of imperatives, namely hypothetical and categorical, which are based on morals rather than individual needs and/or wants.
- Explains consequentialism, or utilitarianism, is associated with john stuart mill, a nineteenth-century philosopher who defended the theory.
- Explains that the feminist theory (or care ethics) is a philosophical and theoretical extension of feminism, which has become particularly prominent in recent years.
- Opines that feminism and the feminist theory/care ethics do not allow for an equal view of the world, which leads to unequal worlds.
1322 wordsRead More - The Concept Of Virtue Ethicsopinionated essayWhen I think of Virtue Ethics I think of all the things my mother told me that would make me a “good” person. Of the normative ethics I believe Virtue is the simplest because it is a very bottom line concept. For example, your behaviors are good or bad, right or wrong, or courageous or cowardice. Unlike Utilitarianism there is no thought of potential consequences. When one’s ethical actions are based on virtues, I believe the assumption is “there are not any consequences” because in virtue ethics one always does “the right thing”.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that virtue ethics is the simplest because it is a very bottom line concept. unlike utilitarianism there is no thought of potential consequences.
- Opines that virtue ethics connects the virtues to a conception of more full life and prompts us to look at character traits.
- Explains that hartman et al. (2014) indicate that virtues are character traits which lead to a good and meaningful human life. lawler & salzman (2103) add validity to the text by defining the virtue-ethical approach.
- Explains that hartman et al. (2014) reveals that a person's character is comprised of dispositions, relationships, attitudes, values, and beliefs which are often referred to as the individual’s personality.
- Analyzes how hartman et al. (2014) reveals that virtue ethics recognizes that our motivations, interests, wants, and desires do not change with the wind but rather human beings act in and from character.
734 wordsRead More - Is Feminism a Harmful Ideologyanalytical essayNormative ethics is a branch of ethics which attempts to illuminate how humans should live their lives, and more specifically how to make moral decisions concerning oneself and others, according to c...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that moral questions require normative statements which express value judgements. these statements cannot be supported by empirical evidence.
- Explains that the liberal position regarding the enforcement of morals holds freedom as the most important value in cases of victimless crime.
- Explains normative ethics as a branch of ethics which attempts to illuminate how humans should live their lives, and more specifically how to make moral decisions concerning oneself and others, according to certain sets of values.
- Explains that a rule utilitarian seeks underlying moral rules of particular acts, and judges their morality by finding which rules produce the most utility.
- Explains that the rule utilitarian may feel that there is more utility to be gained by following the first rule.
- Explains that natural law theorists believe that morally right acts are in accordance with nature. they may feel that feminism is a movement to force compliance with the notion that males and females are the same.
- Opines that the two central moral issues raised in the debate over whether homosexuality should be accepted by society are:
- Explains that moral issues are distinctly moral because they require value judgements about human conduct (normative statements), cannot be decided by empirical evidence or by running experiments, and seek to define standards of human behavior (which apply to everyone).
- Analyzes how the act utilitarian judges morality according to how much utility, or end happiness a particular act produces, and believes homosexuality should be accepted because more happiness would be achieved in the long run.
- Explains that in the issue of homosexuality, the rule utilitarian would first find the underlying moral rules.
- Opines that s/he would carefully consider each of the rules to find which one produced the most utility. if the rule utilitarian decided that discrimination against homosexuals is morally acceptable, it would produce more happiness in the long run.
- Suggests kantians take a different approach to this issue by attempting to find universally accepted principles of duty.
- Argues that the kantian who subscribes to either or both of the above views can support the societal acceptance of homosexuals.
- Explains that a natural law theorist would view homosexuality as immoral, since it is not considered in accordance with nature.
- Argues that the theory of natural rights stresses individual liberty as the foundation of morality, and that homosexuality is morally acceptable.
- Opines that in issue 4, "is feminism a harmful ideology?" the two central moral issues to this debate are as follows: (1) is it immoral to infringe upon individual liberty (even if some other good can come of it)?
- Explains that act utilitarianism judges the morality of an act according to how much utility it produces.
- Explains that kantian theory of ethics maintains that there is a universal moral principle of duty, which is judged, not the consequence of carrying out the duty.
- Explains that the theory of natural rights holds that every human has an equal right to life, liberty, and justly acquired property and that infringements upon those rights are immoral.
- Explains that the five theories are distinguishable from each other on a basic level in one or two ways; what the theory values (freedom, nature, etc.) and whether it is consequentialist or nonconsequentialist (kantian theory).
1518 wordsRead More - Is Ethical Theory Applicable to Practice?analytical essayWhile we all struggle between what is right and what is wrong we each go about it a different way. That struggle is the foundation to our decisions, morality is merely a guideline for our decisions. Ethical theory is used, everyday by everyone, but it is merely an out-of-tune hum compared to a virtuoso like Bennett, MacIntyre, and Midgley.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mary midgley argues against moral isolationism, the notion that one can only fully understand our culture and that we shouldn't attempt to judge other cultures.
- Analyzes how midgley rejects the notion of moral isolationism on several grounds.
- Opines that moral isolationism would lay down a ban on moral reasoning. the power of moral judgment is, in fact, not an indulgence of the self-righteous.
- Opines that moral reasoning is not something that we can do without. it is what keeps our criminal justice system going, without it we would live in anarchy and disorder.
- Analyzes how alasdair macintyre's lecture "is patriotism a virtue?" argues that morality comes from the community we live in.
- Analyzes how jonathan bennett considers bad morality when he explains the conscience of huckleberry finn.
- Analyzes how huck's conscience got the best of him and he didn't turn jim in. he felt worse about himself than before.
- Opines that reading philosophers makes them wonder what they would say at their predicament, but they realize that whatever they say would not matter.
- Explains that ethical theory is almost like singing, but only a few are good at it. americans are patriotic because they love their country, why question it, and think gays shouldn't have rights.
- Opines that when they read a philosopher's work, they see something that is beyond them. they see pavarotti, rampal, and jordan doing what they do best.
- Opines that morality is merely a guideline for our decisions. ethical theory is used everyday by everyone, but it is an out-of-tune hum compared to virtuoso like bennett, macintyre, and midgley.
963 wordsRead More - Deontologial Theoryopinionated essayThere are two sub-categories of the deontological theory. The “monistic” sub-category bases morality solely on one virtue. Examples of the monistic category of ethical theories are hedonism and Kant’s duty theory. In the theory of hedonism, pleasure is the only good, and in Kant’s theory on ethics, one’s duty or moral obligation is the sole virtue or value of goodness. The “multiple” sub-category of ethical theories has a minimum of two values of goodness, such as a woman marrying an intelligent and handsome man. The multiple values of goodness ...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that ethics was studied from a philosophical aspect and viewed as the science of morals. plato, socrates and aristotle were among the early teachers of ethics.
- Explains that philosophers and teachers developed and taught numerous ethical theories based on their beliefs.
- Analyzes the greek ethics of plato, socrates, and aristotle focused on moral virtues. the consequential ethical theory of bentham theorized that the consequences of one’s behavior are crucial when making moral decisions.
- Explains that contemporary philosophers define ethics as a philosophical examination of the principles of right versus wrong, and view morality as the practice of these principles.
- Explains the deontological theory, which is based on an individual's actions and not the consequences of the actions.
- Explains the two sub-categories of the deontological theory: the monistic and kant's duty theories.
- Explains that deontologicalists believe that the consequences of our behavior are insignificant and not a factor to consider when confronted with an ethical dilemma. morality is based solely on the person’s action.
- Explains immanuel kant's duty/goodwill theory, which is a non-consequential theory because morality is founded on duty and moral obligation.
- Explains that the divine command theory is categorized as a deontological theory because the premises is that there is god and one set of divine rules. if an individual adheres to the rules, he/she is morally and ethically correct.
- Explains that william david ross' prima facie duties theory is considered a deontological theory because he believed that there are rules that all people must obey in order to meet their moral obligations.
- Explains the theory of hedonism, which views happiness as an empirical fact and pleasure as the ultimate virtue. it meets the criteria of a deontological theory.
- Analyzes how deontological theories focus on the acts and not the consequences, which is problematic to any civilized society.
- Opines that when faced with ethical dilemmas, an individual should be given the opportunity to consider all options, including the consequences, to reach a sound and moral decision.
- Explains the strengths of the deontological theory, including the presence of moral guidelines, a strong set of rules, and the ability to make moral decisions without the burden of weighing the consequences.
- Opines that law enforcement agents must adhere to their duties and moral obligations. they must consider the consequences of their actions and all dimensions of a dilemma.
- Opines that rational and intelligent individuals must focus on the beneficial aspects of all-ethical theories and minimize the non-beneficial components of each theory. they must demonstrate courage and moral virtue to apply the correct ethical theory that would result in the morally correct resolution to any given ethical dilemma.
- Opines that rational and thinking human beings must consider the ramifications of their actions and make the morally correct decision when faced with an ethical dilemma in law enforcement.
- Describes the references to albert, ethel, denis, theodore, and peterfreund, sheldon p.
1310 wordsRead More - Why Torture is Morally Wronganalytical essayPojman, L. (2002). 6: Utilitarianism. Ethics: discovering right and wrong (pp. 104-113). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that torture is morally wrong in light of utilitarian and kantian moral theories.
- Opines that utilitarian moral theories support torturing an innocent man, but if we look at this situation from another angle, what truly is the greater good?
- Opines that the greater good can only be achieved by not torturing this man. there are alternative ways to handle this situation that will achieve a higher utility for both parties.
- Argues that kantian moral theories make a very strong argument for why torture is wrong just in its definition. torture, by definition, cannot be consented to.
- Explains that kantianism and utilitarianism lead us to the conclusion that torture is morally wrong. it never brings happiness and never follows the formula of the end in itself.
- Describes three flaws in friedman's argument that the only social responsibility of business is to increase profits.
- Argues that making a profit is bad for the company's reputation in the long run. friedman states that the only business of business is business.
- Analyzes friedman's argument that profit isn't the only thing keeping stockholders investing in a company.
- Analyzes friedman's argument that a business must treat its customers and employees well or they will leave, although he does argue that the free market will take care of this and good business owners only do this out of the need for profit.
- Opines that today’s economic situation does not rigidly reflect friedman's views. however, they do not think that every corporation is created and run with the sole purpose of raising a profit.
- Explains the notion of eudaimonia and how it can be applied to contemporary business society.
- Explains that eudaimonia is an all-encompassing idea of "living well" as a human being.
- Opines that eudaimonia has a strong relationship with virtue. aristotle backs this theory, saying that "virtue is necessary but it is not sufficient."
- Opines that if one lives a life of vices it would be hard for them to reach eudiamonia.
- Explains that the idea of virtue ethics can be applied to business and corporations because as a whole it focuses on behavior.
- Describes ciulla, martin, c. w., and solomon, r.
- Cites hursthouse, r. (2003, july 18). virtue ethics. stanford university. retrieved march 6, 2014.
- Explains o'neill's simplified account of kantian ethics, matters of life and death, mcgraw-hill.
- Describes pojman, l., and wadsworth's ethics: discovering right and wrong.
2139 wordsRead More - Kantianism, Utilitarianism, And Applied Ethicsanalytical essayThe contemporary study of ethics has many associations in philosophy itself and other disciplines such as psychology, medicine, sociology, politics, and neurobiology. They are an analysis of diverse normative ethical theories including deontology, consequentialism, Role Ethics, virtue ethics, the ethics of care, and Pragmatic Ethics, along with applying them to current moral issues. There are divergences about what exactly gives an act, regulation, or disposition its moral value. Generally speaking, there are three assessments on how moral problems should be solved: Normative Ethics, Meta-ethics, and Applied Ethics.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the contemporary study of ethics has many associations in philosophy and other disciplines such as psychology, medicine, sociology, politics, and neurobiology.
- Explains that most moral theories will tell us what principles should be utilized to determine whether an action is right or wrong. other theories include kantianism, utilitarianism and contrarianism.
- Analyzes how post-structuralism was anti-authoritarian and imbued with nihilistic tendencies. error theory states that moral judgments are false because nothing is morally wrong.
- Explains that applied ethics examines matters of moral judgement within public and private life. environmental ethicists are concerned with the responsibility of the government and big businesses to curb pollution and reduce environmental waste.
445 wordsRead More