The different theories of ethics; virtue ethics, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics seem very similar, but are in fact very different from one another. Each of these theories is based on a different reasoning behind the decision making process, when making an ethic choice.…
A consequentialist theory which one decides an ethical decision should maximize benefits to society and minimize harms.…
There are three main approaches to ethical theory. The three areas are utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. Utilitarianism is often thought of as the consequences. In a utilitarian’s mind, the best choice is the one that is made to meet most people’s satisfaction and is ethically correct. The problem with utilitarianism is that as time passes and they begin to have wrong predictions, then the benefit is less for everyone and that person begins to look unethical. Also, there is the possibility for laws to conflict with a utilitarian’s way of thinking, at times they will infringe upon one person’s rights in order to benefit the greater population. Deontological theory states that people should follow their own obligations first and foremost ahead of other individuals or society. In this person’s thinking, they believe that following through with their own obligations is ethically correct. A deontologist has the thinking that they must follow the rules set, no matter the consequences. The biggest fault with a deontologist is that there is no logical basis for setting these rules. Since deontology is not based on specifics of different situations, there is no true guidance when there are conflicting obligations in any situation. Lastly, virtue ethical theory focuses mostly on the character of the person instead of the action that the person is committing. This theory takes into account a person’s morals, reputation and motivation for the act. The biggest fault with this sort of ethical theory is that a person’s change in morals is not considered.…
Consequentialists believe that whether an act is right or wrong depends only on the overall consequence of that act, where punishment should serve to promote good, contributing to crime prevention or societal welfare.…
The similarities and differences between ethical theories are based on the explanation of ethical principles from the views of an individual. There are three major ethical theories: virtue ethics, deontology, and utilitarianism ethics. Ethics is the beliefs of right and wrong in human action (Boylan, 2009). There are many theories that exist on how people come to believe what is the right and wrong decision.…
Ross, W.D., (2002). The Right and the Good. Edited, with an Introduction, by Philip Stratton-…
Immanuel Kant, disagreed with the Utilitarian principle that maximized happiness for the greatest number of people. In chapter 2 of his book, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant theorizes an external critique that we don’t always act for desires but duty instead. Kant really has this worry and he wants to find a firm foundation for our moral laws. According to Kant, Act only on that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. Universal moral law is not empirical, not based on experience because then it is not justified and can take on different meanings. Once you strip away everything empirical, contingent, subjective about you will be left with a rational (form of the action itself). When…
Normative ethical subjectivism is an ethical stance that attempts to specify circumstances under which an action is morally right or wrong using four distinct arguments that try to prove this claim. Normative ethical subjectivism claims that an act is morally right if, and only if, the person judging the action approves of it. Stemming form this view on ethics a normative ethical theory has been made. An ethical theory is a theory of what is right and wrong. This stance on ethics is the opposite of another ethical stance called methethical antirealism. Methethical antirealism is centered on the idea that because there is no right and wrong actions, just personal preferences there is no such thing as morality. It also states that morals are just a personal preference. Normative ethical subjectivism makes its claim in four different arguments witch are democracy, tolerance, disagreement and atheism.…
The origins of morality and what is defined as "good" or "bad", "unethical" or "moral" can easily boggle the mind. It is a topic that can be debated almost endlessly. There are many factors that must be taken into consideration to provide valid philosophies; yet there will still always be debatable elements. Two concepts of morality that are in direct opposition of each other are moral objectivism and moral relativism. Moral relativism can be subjective, in which morals are particular an individuals own beliefs; or, they can be conventional, in which morals are specific to a society and vary from culture to culture. On the other hand, moral objectivism does not leave room for opinions; it reasons that moral judgments are either true or false absolutely. These conflicting views create much cause for deliberation.…
This theory also argues that there is not one judgment of right and wrong and not one single standard that defines moral and ethical…
These decision-making principles do not give the answer; they provide 3 different frameworks to approach an answer for the particular ethical dilemma being faced, according to our particular set of core beliefs.…
3. Moral Pluralism: this simply states that there are moral truths. Moral truths are real, but partial. There are many moral truths and they all conflict with each other.…
Mary is a student in your class. As you prepare for your final exam comprised of essay questions, you notice her copying and pasting her responses directly from the internet. The university has well known policies concerning academic dishonesty, and the consequences for violating them include expulsion. You know that Mary is the first in her family to attend…
This form of ethics looks at morality by examining the inputs rather than the outputs. All rules of morality must be universal and are absolutes, there is…
Virtue ethics, utilitarianism, and demonological ethics are the three main forms of normative ethics. The purpose of this essay is to address some similarities as well as differences between the virtue theory, utilitarianism, and demonological ethics. This essay will describe the differences between how the theories addresses ethics and morality. I will include a personal experience to explain the relationship between virtue, values, and moral concepts to one of the theories.…