Ethical Perspectives

1285 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Diversity in the classroom today

Ethical Perspectives

Introduction

Ethics involves identifying, differentiating, and defending concepts of right and wrong, and what values humanity retains from ethical growth and development. The Williams Group for Ethics and Management developed an exercise, called the Ethics Awareness Inventory, which analyzes responses to a set of questions, and categorizes the results under four ethical perspectives: Character (or Virtue Ethics), Obligation (or Deontological Ethics), Results (or Utilitarianism), and Equity (or Relativism). After completion of the inventory, my ethical perspective was determined to be Obligation, or Deontological Ethics.

I will begin by explaining the core beliefs and values of the ethical perspective of Obligation, and look into the beliefs and values of the remaining three perspectives. I will also examine a few issues which will likely be faced in my workplace, examining how my ethical perspective comes into play.

Obligation/deontology

Deontological Ethics "falls within the domain of moral theories that guide and assess our choices of what we ought to do (deontic theories), in contrast to (aretaic [virtue] theories) that — fundamentally, at least — guide and assess what kind of person (in terms of character traits) we are and should be." (Alexander & Moore, 2007, 1).

The first perspective I will explain involves focus on "an individual's duty or obligation to do what is morally right." (University of ...

... middle of paper ...

... 2007, from

http://plato.stanford.edu/

IDRA (Intercultural Development Research Association). (2007). Race Equity and

Desegregation Terminology. Retrieved December 15, 2007, from http://www.idra.org/

Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, (2006). Consequentialism. Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy. Retrieved December 15, 2007, from http://plato.stanford.edu/

Swoyer, Chris, (2003). Relativism. Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy. Retrieved December 15, 2007, from http://plato.stanford.edu/

University of Phoenix – Ethics Awareness Inventory. (2003). Your Ethical Perspective –

(C) Character. Retrieved December 15, 2007, from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/

University of Phoenix – Ethics Awareness Inventory. (2003). Your Ethical Perspective –

(O) Obligation. Retrieved December 15, 2007, from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/

Show More
Related

  • Virtue Ethics: Deontological and Eudaimonist

    4530 Words  | 10 Pages

    There are two basic types of ethical judgments: deontological judgements that focus on duty and obligation and eudaimonist judgements that focus on human excellence and the nature of the good life. I contend that we must carefully distinguish these two types of judgement and not try to understand one as a special case of the other. Ethical theories may be usefully divided into two main kinds, deontological or eudaimonist, on the basis of whether they take one of the other of these types of judgement as primary. A second important contention, which this paper supports but does not attempt to justify fully, is that neither type of theory trumps the other, nor should we subsume them under some more encompassing ethical synthesis.

    Read More

  • Ethics in Nursing

    1924 Words  | 4 Pages

    Deontology is an ethical theory concerned with duties and rights. The founder of deontological ethics was a German philosopher named Immanuel Kant. Kant’s deontological perspective implies people are sensitive to moral duties that require or prohibit certain behaviors, irrespective of the consequences (Tanner, Medin, & Iliev, 2008). The main focus of deontology is duty: deontology is derived from the Greek word deon, meaning duty. A duty is morally mandated action, for instance, the duty never to lie and always to keep your word. Based on Kant, even when individuals do not want to act on duty they are ethically obligated to do so (Rich, 2008).

    Read More

  • Essay On Ethical Lens Inventory

    1718 Words  | 4 Pages

    Deontological ethics are “ethical theories that place special emphasis on the relationship between duty and the morality of human actions” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018). This viewpoint focuses more on the action itself rather than the outcome. Per Kant’s Categorical Imperative one should “so act that you treat humanity in your own person and in the person of everyone else always at the same time as an end and never merely as means” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018). An example of this is that killing is wrong, even if it is in self-defense. Many of the values and morals of the ELI Responsibilities Lens are based on the deontological

    Read More

  • Deontological Moral Theory

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deontological moral theory is a Non-Consequentialist moral theory. While consequentialists believe the ends always justify the means, deontologists assert that the rightness of an action is not simply dependent on maximizing the good, if that action goes against what is considered moral. It is the inherent nature of the act alone that determines its ethical standing. For example, imagine a situation where there are four critical condition patients in a hospital who each need a different organ in order to survive. Then, a healthy man comes to the doctor’s office for a routine check-up.

    Read More

  • Deontology in Jim and the Indians

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    The deontological view would be that we should act according to a set of rules, obligations, or duties that we must fulfil, unmindful of the consequences. Kant, a popular deontological philosopher of the 19th century, wrote in his “Foundations of Metaphysics of Morals”,

    Read More

  • Reflection On Ethical Lens

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    n this reflective journal entry, we are going to look at that the ethical issues that were presented in the Ethics Game simulations, the decision-making steps that were completed to address ethically the issues, and the ethical lenses that I used to make decisions throughout the simulation. We are also going to take a look at how these different ethical lenses influenced my decision and the how I could use the concepts that I have learned in my workplace.

    Read More

  • Ethical Theories

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    .... In addition, this company has already made adjustments in the way they are making their product by using organic cotton to improve the quality of their product. Furthermore, while Patagonia is making definite changes towards their social responsibility considering the needs of their customers while still increasing the amount of product they are producing.

    Read More

  • Exploring the Four Frameworks of Ethics: A Practical Analysis

    2055 Words  | 5 Pages

    Everyday individuals are faced with difficult situations, and in some cases these situations bring into question a person’s moral code. These dilemmas make people think about what the right thing to do is and what the wrong thing to do is. Any person can follow the four basic frameworks of ethics to figure out what needs to be done. Those frameworks being ethical egoism, utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. But first I will put you in a tricky situation and shed some light on the different routes an individual could take according to those four ethical frameworks. Then I will give my opinion on what I would do in the situation and I will state some objections a critic might have on my opinion.

    Read More

  • Ethical Theory

    531 Words  | 2 Pages

    Review of “Situationism and Virtue Ethics on the Content of Our Character” by Rachana Kamtekatar

    Read More

  • Climate Change, Hybrids and Applied Ethics: An Explorative Guide to Setting Policy

    2957 Words  | 6 Pages

    8- Alexander, Larry, Alexander,. "Deontological Ethics." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward N. Zalta (ed.)

    Read More

  • Virtue ethics IA

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics. It may, initially, be identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach which emphasizes duties or rules (deontology) or that which emphasizes the consequences of actions (consequentialism). Suppose it is obvious that someone in need should be helped. A utilitarian will point to the fact that the consequences of doing so will maximize well-being, a deontologist to the fact that, in doing so the agent will be acting in accordance with a moral rule such as “Do unto others as you would be done by” and a virtue ethicist to the fact that helping the person would be charitable or benevolent. A modern day virtue ethicist virtue Alastair Macintyre points out that different virtues have been prized by different societies, and at different points in history. Virtue Ethics is therefore a morally relativist, non-cognitive theory.

    Read More

  • Philosophy: Ethics and Morality

    2484 Words  | 5 Pages

    The term “ethics” discusses how one’s morality needs to take acknowledge that of the rest of the members of the group or community t...

    Read More

  • Ethics And Ethical Systems

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a function, ethics is a philosophical study of the moral value of human conduct, and of the rules and principles it should govern. As a system, ethics are a social, religious, or civil code of behavior considered correct by a particular group, profession, or individual. As an instrument, ethics provide perspective regarding the moral fitness of a decision, course of action, or potential outcomes. Ethical decision-making can include many types, including deontological (duty), consequentialism (including utilitarianism), and virtue ethics. Additionally, subsets of relativism, objectivism, and pluralism seek to understand the impact of moral diversity on a human level. Although distinct differences separate these ethical systems, organizations

    Read More

  • Three Major Principles Of Deontology

    305 Words  | 1 Pages

    Deontology, on the other hand, emphasizes on the moral intuitions that guide one’s conscience for or against certain actions (Curcă, 2013). Deontologists are the opposites of utilitarians because the essential judgment of taking or not taking a course of action is observed in its strictest sense. Apart from feelings and conditions, deontologists also consider the consequences of not following religious rules and natural laws of morality to guide every course of action. Thus, deontologists value three major principles of decision-making: intrinsic morality, the duty of care, and the moral consequences of an action.

    Read More

  • Strengths And Weaknesses And Evaluate The APA Code Of Ethics Case Study

    1828 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethics play a vital role in day-to-day living from work to home. The ability to recognize ethical dilemmas and apply ethical theories to resolve ethical dilemmas is essential part of an individual 's psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The purpose of this paper is to explore the strengths and weakness of the American Psychological Association (APA) code of ethics, apply and evaluate the eight-step ethical decision-making model, discuss the role of deontology in ethical reasoning, resolution, and multicultural issues in the case study.

    Read More

More about Ethical Perspectives

Open Document