ethics

749 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Compare and contrast utilitarianism vs, deontology

Ethics is the part of philosophy that deals with right and wrong behaviour, and has taken on many different meanings for people over the course of history. Several different theories of what ethics is and how it should be applied have come from philosophers such as John Stuart Mill, Immanuel Kant and Peter Singer to name only a few. These theories have similarities but also extreme differences to one another, and since there is no universal code of ethics, these theories help to give people different means by which to look at ethical dilemmas as well as diverse ways in how they can be dealt with.

When looking at different philosophers who brought light to ethics, perhaps one of the most central people who should come to mind is German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant’s theory was one known as a deontological moral theory, and was the notion that “the rightness or wrongness of actions does not depend on their consequences”, but depends on the act itself. http://www.csus.edu/indiv/g/gaskilld/ethics/Kantian%20Ethics.htm
Kant referred to this theory of morality as “The Categorical Imperative” which is the principle of morality that is unbeatable and should determine what we ethically ought to do. An imperative is something that is a command, such as “do your homework”, and whether it is categorical or hypothetical has a difference on what you do. A hypothetical imperative is one where you do something if you have a desire to do it, therefore “do your homework”, only if you want to. In contrast a categorical imperative is unconditional and you must do it whether you want to or not. Kant believed that the categorical imperative was related to ethics because if something is ethically and morally right you should be commanded by it ...

... middle of paper ...

... greatest number” maxim for his fight for animal rights, as well as against abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. His maxim is relevant to ethics in almost any situation in which a decision could or could not provide greatest good for the greatest amount of people. Peter Singer is one of the more modern philosophers to do with ethics, and although he is in line with utilitarianism he also adds his own spin to it which differentiates him from John Stuart Mill.
All of these theories share differences and similarities, and although some people look for a theory to follow in all situations, there is no all-encompassing, universal theory of ethics by which people can all follow in all situations. Just as there is no universal theory of ethics proposed by philosophers, there is also no universal code of conduct for which every person must follow in every workplace.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Richard Kyte's An Ethical Life

    1416 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethics is defined by as the “branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions

    Read More

  • The Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Kant, there are two types on imperatives, categorical imperatives and hypothetical imperatives. The Categorical Imperative is based on relation and not by means, which hypothetical imperatives are based on. Kant describes them by stating, “When I conceive a hypothetical imperative in general, I do not know beforehand what it will contain- until its condition is give. But if I conceive a categorical imperative, I know at once what it contains,” (88). Like before, categorical imperatives are absolutely moral in themselves, meaning they do not rely on a person’s desires or feelings. This is compared with hypothetical imperatives, which are obligations that have an end result of your action, which in turn results in your personal desires or thoughts. An example of a hypothetical imperative is, “I need to ea...

    Read More

  • Grounding For The Metaphysics Of Morals, By Immanuel Kant

    1044 Words  | 3 Pages

    Immanuel Kant is steadfast in his belief that before anyone can do anything absolutely moral, they must reason what would occur if every person on Earth did this exact thing, or as he puts it, “Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law” (Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, 30). This philosophy seems sound, but is actually inherently flawed, as when it comes into conflict with his opinions on lying, it makes both points to be somewhat impossible to live by. It also does not account for different people operating in different situations all over the world, instead opting for some sort of absolute, infallible morality. This casts ethics in a disturbingly black and white

    Read More

  • Quiz Show by Robert Redford

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethics are the principles that shape individual lives in modern society. It is a subjective idea that seems to have a standard in society. Ethics and morals are the major factors that guide individuals to make right and wrong choices. Something that is morally right to one person might be the very opposite of what another person would view as right. There are many factors that can trigger a change in an individual’s view of morality.

    Read More

  • Health, Ethics and Society

    2607 Words  | 6 Pages

    Ethics can be defined as “moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity”. (Oxford Dictionaries 2013b) Doctors have a code of ethics that they should abide by when in medical practice. The aim of medical ethics is to protect and defend patients’ rights and dignity. (Elsayed et al. 2009) When these codes of ethics are taken in isolation, the principles are morally sound. However, they may conflict with each other. (Limentani, 1999)

    Read More

  • A Practical Companion To Ethics By Anthony Weston

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethics is a doing and learning experience which causes us as humans to keep an open mind to change. Generally, ethics ask us to live mindfully, to think how we act and even how we feel or do things, which can change the outcome. Sometimes we go down certain roads, which may be harder or make things more complicated or complex instead of making an easier option we just take the easier way out, usually the way that calls for

    Read More

  • morality

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kant’s theory argues that the moral worth of an action is to be judged not by its consequences but the nature of the maxim or principle that motivated the action. He states the right actions are not necessarily those with favorable consequences but those performed with accordance with correct maxims. Kant also defines the correct maxims are the ones that can serve as universal laws (79). According to Kant there is a formula for the “Unversal Law,” First we wold have to figure out the general principle we would be actin on. We can use his example of borrowing money knowing you can pay it back. In order for us to universalize the maxim we must think if everyone were in “X” situation they would all do “Y.” So if everyone needed to borrow money knowing they could not pay it back they would then like and make a false promise. So this cold not be a universal law because if everyone started making false promises a promise would mean nothing and would only be using someone as a means. Kant also discusses categorical imperative and hypothetical imperative; categorical imperative is an unconditional moral law that applies to all rational beings and independent of any personal motive or law “to act for the state of duty”(81). One objection to Kants theory would be that duties that resul...

    Read More

  • Immanuel Kant's The Quinlan Case

    1386 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is ethics? Ethics are the philosophical principles of good verses bad moral behavior. It is a guideline to help people make decisions or make a judgment calls. There are two main types of ethical principles that will be discussed in this paper, and how they are applied to the decision making process. They are Deontological and Utilitarian. Deontological ethics are based on the righteousness or wrongness of the action-taking place. It does not base itself on the bad or good consequences that come from the action. Immanuel Kant introduced deontological ethics in the 18th century. Kant believed that every decision or action made by a person had to be evaluated by his or her moral duty. He stated that humanity shouldn’t side on its

    Read More

  • Utilitarianism, Kant's Moral Theory, And Virtue Ethics

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Intro to Ethics, we have discussed each moral theory in the context of how the theories dealt with the theory of right conduct and with the deontic status the action had. When we looked at how each theory we talked about dealt with deontic status, we looked at how the actions were right or wrong. The main theories we looked at this semester that dealt with right conduct were utilitarianism, Kant’s moral theory, and virtue ethics. Although each of these moral theories has its own flaws, I believe that Kant’s moral theory is the strongest and most superior out of all the moral theories.

    Read More

  • The Walmart de Mexico Scandal

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Panza, C. & Potthast, A. (n.d.) “A snapshot of key ethical theories.” Retrieved from, http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/a-snapshot-of-key-ethical-theories.navId-323314.html?print=true on 04/21/2014

    Read More

  • Case Study Of Kant's Deontology

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kant presents his followers with both categorical and hypothetical imperatives (Reitan). The hypothetical imperatives, often dubbed the imperfect duties, basically state, “If you want X, do Y (Reitan).” In other words, hypothetical imperatives are not obligatory of people, but encourage certain actions for certain results. Categorical imperatives say, “Do Y, no matter what you want (Reitan).” These perfect duties, as they are referred to as, are rules that we must follow without any acceptable exceptions (Degrazia, Mappes and Brand-Ballard). These perfect duties include the forbidding of killing innocent people, lying, breaking promises, becoming intoxicated, committing suicide, and masturbating (Horn). Kant ultimately believes that reason dictates what is right and wrong through the categorical imperative of Kantian Deontology, which has two formulations (Reitan). The first states, “Act only on that maxim that you can at the same time (consistently) will to be a universal law (of nature) (Reitan).” This is the philosophical equivalent of “treat others the way you want to be treated.” The second formulation, which could arguably provide a different

    Read More

  • The Golden Rule in Kant and Mill's Ethical Theories

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethics refers to what people consider good or bad and right or wrong. It is a theory dealing with values that relate to human behaviour; with respect to their actions and purpose. The two most important philosophers that deal with ethics are Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. Kant’s ethical theory is Kantianism or deontological ethics. Mill’s ethical theory is utilitarianism. Both philosophers’ theories have many differences; Kant’s theory deals with conduct, seeking reason for good action in duty. Mill’s theory deals with consequences and maximizing human happiness. However both Kant and Mill’s ethics relate to the important biblical principal of the Golden Rule.

    Read More

  • Managerial Ethics

    1607 Words  | 4 Pages

    [1] Ethics is defined as “the code of moral principles and values that governs the behaviour of a person or a group with respect to what is right or wrong” (Samson and Daft, 2005, p.158)

    Read More

  • The Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant

    674 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Section One and Section Two of his work. Kant explores his position on his fundamental principle of morality, or his “categorical imperative”, or his idea that all actions are moral and “good” if they are performed as a duty. Such an idea is exemplified when he says, “I should never act except in such a way that I can also will that my maxim should become a universal law” (Kant 14). The philosopher uses examples such as suicide and helping others in distress to apply his principal to possible real life situation. Kant is successful in regards to both issues. As a result, it means that categorical imperative can plausibly be understood as the fundamental principle of all morality. Kant’s reasoning for his categorical imperative is written in a way that makes the theory out to be very plausible.

    Read More

  • Ethics in the Modern World

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethics is a system of moral principles and a branch of philosophy which defines what is acceptable for both individuals and society. It is a philosophy that covers a whole range of things that have an importance in everyday situations. Ethics are vital in everyones lives, it includes human values, and how to have a good life, our rights and responsibilities, moral decisions what is right and wrong, good and bad. Moral principles affect how people make decisions and lead their lives (BBC, 2013). There are many different beliefs about were ethics come from. These consist of; God and Religion, human conscience, the example of good human beings and a huge desire for the best for people in each unique situation, and political power (BBC, 2013).

    Read More

More about ethics

Open Document