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Ethics Ethics
The schools of thought; virtue ethics, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics, have their similarities and differences relating to how they deal with matters of morality and ethics within a society or even with the individual. As a consequence, the benefits, and consequences suffered by an individual will depend on the theory adopted and applied. In this paper I will attempt to distinguish the three schools of thought citing appropriate examples from my personal experiences. Virtue theory takes the view that human beings do have virtues that for the “greater good” up help despite the nature of the action. This theory states that the individual makes a decision on whether to take a certain action while looking at the consequences of the theory. The theory further states that the virtues in each of us drive our behavior as well as control how we interpret or feel about things. As a consequence, a person acts in accordance with his or her morals and virtues (Sterba, 2009). Turning to utilitarianism, we have to understand that it deals with what is of “the greatest good for the highest number of people.” The theory adopts the concept of analyzing benefits that are essentially for the good of the whole community or society as opposed to what may be good for an individual; the greatest benefit for the majority is always desired. The theory also holds that although the majority may be the objective of decision making, the minority should not be harmed by the decision. The minority on the other hand should, however, be willing and ready to make some sacrifices along the way. The theory stated that an action can only be judged having viewed the consequences; morality is dependent on the outcome (Boylan, 2009). Deontological ethics abides by the set rules and law without inferring to the

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