Western Ethical Theories
The objective of this work is to examine Western Ethical theories including teleological, deontological, natural law, and interest view and virtue ethics.
The work of Bennett-Woods (2005) states that while the words 'ethics' and 'morality' are "often used interchangeably, morality is more precisely used to refer to the customs, principles of conduct and moral codes of an individual, group or society." Ethics, is also stated to be termed "moral philosophy of the science of morals" and is the branch of philosophy that examines "morality through the critical examination of right and wrong in human action." (Bennett-Woods, 2005)
The study of ethics is generally characterized into three specific domains of study include those of: (1) metaethics which is related to the nature of right and wrong insofar as the where and how of the original of ethical judgments and what these judgments mean regarding the human nature and behavior; (2) Normative ethics which seeks to define precise standards and principles that serve to guide the individual's ethical conduct and serve to answer questions related to what is valuable and how the assessment and justification of actions is conducted; (3) Applied Ethics which is employed in analyzing specific and practical issues. There is a fourth category stated to be that of 'Descriptive Ethics' which provides a description for the "ethical beliefs, norms and behaviors of an individual or group as they actually exist, as opposed to how they ought to exist." (Bennett-Woods, 2005)
I. Moral Objectivism and Ethical Relativism
Moral objectivism is stated to hold that "at least some moral principles and rules are objectively knowable on the basis of observation and human reasoning. The term universalism suggests that basic right and wrong is the same for everyone, while also allowing for some variation in individual circumstances and context." (Bennett-Woods, 2005) Ethical absolutism is the "view that there exists an eternal and unchanging moral law that transcends the physical world...
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
Ethical Theory & Moral Practice Debates about theory and practice are ancient. Each generation considers the dynamics that surround issues about the interdependency of theory and praxis to be uniquely challenging. Complexity is a variable closely linked with knowledge. As science has added layer upon layer of knowledge, decision-making dilemmas have been confounded by new and staggering concomitant factors. In concert, theoretical frameworks for social science disciplines have been adapted to
Ethical treatment of prisoners is a complex question, involving the nature of the prison system in the U.S. And the nature of those incarcerated in it, as well as ethical obligations that individuals owe to society as well as those that society owes to those who are imprisoned. Deontological ethics might hold, for example, that those who have violated the law and the basic moral norms of society deserve to
Ethical Issues in Family and Marital Therapy It has been mentioned that insufficiencies of the APA ethical standards for marriage and family therapy have not been appreciated fully. Guidelines that are in regards to the therapist accountability, confidentiality, and informed consent can really just sometimes turn out to be unclear with individual clients, nevertheless they are even more complex when multiple family associates are observed together when they are in therapy.
Ethical dilemmas surrounding DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) orders Ethical dilemmas surrounding Do Not Resuscitate orders In carrying out their duties, health care givers face many ethical issues that sometimes affect their personal lives. These require that they make ethical decisions, which may affect them and their patients, as well. An example of a situation that puts the health care givers into an ethical dilemma is the application of the Do Not Resuscitate,
Cruzan Case through a variety of medical ethical perspectives The Consequentialist Paradigm The ethical paradigm of consequentialism, as its name suggests, is the view that "normative properties," in other words, ethical actions in the world, should be judged upon and "depend only" upon their resultant consequences. (Sinnott-Armstrong, 2003) The Nancy Cruzan case is famous legal a 'right to die' case whereby, after Nancy Cruzan was almost killed in a car crash,
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