Ethical Theory
Despite the fact that codes of conduct and belief systems permeate everyone's life on an everyday basis, developing a universally acceptable concept of ethics or moral philosophy remains a seemingly impossible task that has plagued philosophers and the world's great thinkers since the beginning of time. Over time a great number of different philosophical theories have arise. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses and each has enjoyed its own period of popularity but, strangely, due to the fact that some of the world's greatest minds have spent their lives formulating other theories, the theory that seemingly has the greatest degree of validity is one of that has enjoyed the longest history: virtue ethics.
Virtue ethics were developed as a theory by the ancient Greek philosophers. Aristotle and Plato in developing their views toward ethics placed little importance on the rules that people should obey or follow and, instead, they focused on the importance of basic character. At the center of virtue ethics is the concept of the golden mean. The golden mean is the proper balancing of two extremes which results in a condition known as virtue. Proponents of virtue ethics argue that persons with good character will ultimately make good decisions without any consideration for rules or moral obligations. For Aristotle and Plato and all followers of the philosophy of virtue ethics, life is a journey whose ultimate goal is to develop good character and, in the process, rid oneself...
Ethical Theories The three basic ethical theories share a number of similarities, because they each attempt to describe and explicate the ethical decisions made by humans as well as the logic (or illogic) that is used to inform any particular behavior. Utilitarianism offers what is perhaps the most sound ethical theory due to the way it chooses for itself the goal of its efforts, but it is hampered by disagreement regarding
Consequently, the underlying concept regarding the two different arguments is the actual point for the beginning of life. Through the application of several ethical theories, stem cell research is unethical because of the following reasons: Respect to All Persons: Based on the utilitarian ethical theory or principle, stem cell research is unethical because it violates the need to respect all individuals and provide the greatest happiness to many people. The emergence
Ethical Theories Describe in detail Teleological, deontological, and virtue ethics: A comparison Teleological ethics are also called consequence-based ethics. Teleological ethical systems emphasize the results of ethical decisions, versus the moral principles behind such decisions. Utilitarianism is an excellent example of teleological ethics. The stress in utilitarianism is doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people, versus setting a precedent for all ethical actions. "It denies that moral rightness depends directly
So long as the employees are aware of the potential on-the-job dangers, which they must be simply by having been hired, they have the right to choose whether or not to work long hours or to wear protective gear. A person who enters an automobile does so knowing that highway accidents are common; a bicycle rider who does not wear a helmet makes s similar choice. To deny the
Ethical Theory and Moral Practice developed as a cohesive field in the late twentieth century, with the establishment of the Ethical Theory and Moral Practice Journal, in 1998. The theory therefore represents a culmination of scholarly thought and analysis in the fields of philosophy, sociology, and psychology. As a cross-disciplinary theory, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice reveals the increasing hybridization of fields that relate to normative ethics. Because Ethical Theory and
Utilitarian Abortion Considerations: The utilitarian perspective applied to the abortion issue would focus on whether permitting or prohibiting elective abortion would contribute more positively the interests of society (Mill, 2003 p160). The principal difference between the utilitarian and deontological perspectives is that utilitarianism is wholly unconcerned with the underlying motivation for decisions. Whereas deontological formalism values the state of mind of the individual, utilitarianism focuses on the ultimate consequences of the act,
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