...Utilitarianism and the Kantian theory are both ethical theories that try to prove where the moral worth of an action lies. However these theories differ in a number of ways. Utilitarianism is a theory that “considers the pursuit of higher, distinctively human pleasures.” (Mill 115) With utilitarianism, morality is based on outcomes. An action is right if it results in the greatest good for the most number of people. Kant says you do good because you have a duty to do good; the consequences are completely irrelevant. “A good will is good not because of what it performs or effects.” (Kant 141) With Kantian morality one's intentions and good will is all that matters. The debate between Kant and Mill is precisely whether our sense of duty can be compromised by appeals to consequences. Utilitarianism and Kant’s theory both have similarities, strengths and weaknesses. An instrumental good is something that helps you achieve something else. If there are only instrumental goods, then A is good because it helps bring the outcome of B, which is good because it helps bring the outcome of C, and so on, therefore our notion of goodness has no anchor. To some people this seems irrational, and they think goodness must have an anchor, they want to posit an "intrinsic" good somewhere. Both utilitarians and Kantians agree there is an intrinsic good. They also agree in being monists rather than pluralists about goodness. There is one and only one intrinsic good for both of them. If asked...
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...claims that something is right to the extent it diminishes social costs and increases social benefits. Ethic of rights, closely associated with Kantian duty ethic, claims that one should always consider and respect people’s rights to freedom and well-being. Aristotelian virtue ethic evaluates the moral character of persons or groups. As articulated by Mill and Bentham, utilitarianism aims not for the pleasure of the individual but the “greatest good for the greatest number” of people. Refined by its later interprets, utilitarianism also rejects a simplistic belief in pursuing the most pleasure possible in favour of the view that incorporates qualitative standards and elevates pleasures of the mind over pleasures of the body. The term “happiness” seems to capture this broadened sense best, and Utilitarian philosophers sometimes call their principle the “greatest happiness principle.” To apply correctly the utilitarian approach, one should avoid several possible misunderstandings of the utilitarian principle. First, the principle does not refer to that action which produces the most utility for the person performing that action; rather, an action is right if it produces the most utility for all persons affected by the action (including the person performing the action). Nor does the utilitarian principle say that an action is right so long as its benefits outweigh its costs. Rather, utilitarianism holds that, in the final analysis, only one action is right: that one action whose...
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...AS Philosophy & Ethics Course Handbook 2013 to 2014 [pic] OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/gce/hss/rs/index.aspx OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) You are studying Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics and will be awarded an OCR AS Level in Religious Studies. The modules and their weightings are: |AS: |Unit Code |Unit Title |% of AS |(% of A Level) | | |G571 |AS Philosophy of Religion |50% |(25%) | | |G572 |AS Religious Ethics |50% |(25%) | If you decide to study for the full A Level you will have to study the following modules at A2: |A2: |Unit Code |Unit Title |(% of A Level) | | |G581 |A2 Philosophy of Religion |(25%) | | |G582 |A2 Religious Ethics |(25%) | Grading | ...
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...Ethical Theories In today’s society, especially in business the question of what is ethical is a dilemma that a great deal of individuals is faced with every day. Ethics vary from person to person and culture to culture. What is unethical in the United States of America may be completely ethical in China. Dictionary.com defines ethics as the moral principles that govern a person’s or a group’s behavior. There are many different theories of ethics, and which one a person chooses to live by, depends on which theorist the individual believes to be more in line with their own personal moral beliefs. When business ethics is discussed it is hard to speak about it without mentioning the name of Milton Friedman. Milton Friedman was an economist that theorized business ethics as monetarism. He is essentially responsible for promoting the economic growth of a company and the benefits to their shareholders. The primary goal and motivating force in business is to make a profit, and try to maintain efficiency while making a profit. Friedman’s theory is in correlation with the philosophy of corporate law. In corporate law the shareholders own the company, and they vote on the Board of Directors. The greatest duty is owed to the shareholders as owners of the business. Typically the Board of Directors makes the important decisions because they ensure the company is running efficiency while making a profit at the same time. Making a profit is the primary reason any company is in business...
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...romantic love is a moral issue. Morality differentiate actions into right and wrong, and right actions are constituted by permissible and obligatory (Halwani 2010, p.89). We should eschew wrong actions, however, can we summarise romantic love is morally prohibited? Sometimes love hurts people when love is selfish or attachment; while sometimes love also brings happiness and support from outside of us. Romantic love is beyond dualism, just like Halwani (2010, p.92) states ' romantic love is not a basic good...it is not morally suspect either.' Then, how romantic love connects with right actions? If romantic love is our obligation, morality is uncorrelated. Whereas if romantic love is permissible that people can choose may or may not to undertake it, morality would intervene in decision making. 'Romantic love is not under our command, which means it is not something we are able to do at will' (Halwani2010, p.90). Romantic love is accidental; people just can not control the time, the place and the person that they will fall in love with. As a result, we can conclude that romantic love is not obligatory. Therefore, romantic love is neither obligatory nor prohibited; the only probability of romantic love is to be permissible. This appears a question about whether people should undertake it in their lives. To answer the question, this essay is going to focus on discussing preferential treatment and three main ethical theories. 'At the most primitive and human level, love begins...
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...This thought process is successful in theory under both philosophers as they each bring something of value to the table. Firmly, Hobbes provided protection and order in his theory and Locke enhanced that theory by allowing additional liberties, rights and freedoms. Out of necessity, Locke created governments to protect our liberties and to protect our natural rights, in contrast, according to Hobbes, humans have this right to life and that is why people created government was to protect human’s right to...
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...the challenges you face and the choices you make. There are many situations where tough decisions need to be made and you must decide what is right, what is wrong, what is ethically sound, what is moral, or unmoral. But how does a person decide what is the “right” or “ethical” thing to do; especially when considering topics such as abortion, euthanasia, animal rights, or, in this case, the ship wreck. A brief synopsis of the situation; a ship wrecked in a remote area with no chance of help arriving soon. There are a 100 people in the water and 75 people in the only lifeboat available, which is meant to hold 50 people. There are men, women, and children, and a mix of old, young, rich, and poor. The 100 people in the water will drown if you do not put them in the boat and the boat will eventually sink because there are too many people in it. You are voted to be the leader based on your courage, intelligence, and experience with ethics and you must decide what to do, if you don’t, no one else will. How does an individual decide whom gets to stay in the boat, basically, who gets to live or die? To help make a decision on controversial issues, such as this one, there are many theories and standpoints to consider. A few of the theories and strategies that are going to be discussed are: Egoism, The Divine Command Theory, Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics, and Natural Law. The main thesis of psychological egoism is that people either always act in their own best interests or are always...
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...1. Export capital for production abroad: According to Shaw and Barry, deciding what sort of economic arrangements would best promote human happiness requires the utilitarian to consider many things. It is unethical to export capital for production abroad because this capital can be used for production facilities domestically and by exporting this capital, the opportunity is available for local and domestic use is restricted. Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with similar system of liberty for all. I believe the principle is saying that we should be free as possible to set the course of our own lives. Social and economic inequalities are to satisfy two conditions. First, they are to be attached to positions and offices to open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity; and second, they are to be to the greatest expected benefit of the least advantaged members of society. I believe the idea is that social and economic inequalities are not wrong, or bad, in themselves. They only become indefensible when they don't operate to improve the position of the worst off. The capital should be used for purposes, which benefit the domestic market and does not in any way hamper the domestic necessity. Once capital is exported then the entire purpose of being available domestically is lost. Rawls theory states that what causes the least harm to the greatest population and the least harm to the least population...
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...Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics, Natural Rights Theories, and Religious Ethics A “utilitarian” argument, in the strict sense, is one what alleges that we ought to do something because it will produce more total happiness than doing anything else would. Act utilitarianism (AU) is the moral theory that holds that the morally right action, the act that we have a moral duty to do, is the one that will (probably) maximize “utility” (happiness, welfare, well-being). AU is not to be confused with egoism. The egoist really only cares about his own happiness. AU says that everyone’s happiness counts equally. Suppose that executing Joseph would in the long run produce more total happiness than letting him live would. Then according to AU, we ought to execute Joseph. Now if Joseph is a convicted serial murderer who would probably escape and commit more murders if we tried to incarcerate him, then it’s reasonable to think that executing him would be the right thing to do. But what if he has committed no crime? What if he is simply an extremely irritating person with no friends or loved ones, and the many people with whom he has contact in his life are very sensitive and dislike him intensely? Since more total happiness is produced if Joseph dies (the increased happiness of the many who no longer have to endure him outweighs his unhappiness about dying) than if he lives, AU says that it’s right to kill him. This example illustrates what is probably the main objection to AU: it tells us to violate...
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...market system is a system of society-wide coordination of human activities not by central command but by mutual interactions in the form of transactions. Three kinds of markets are the most familiar: The labor markets, the agricultural markets, and markets for services and goods that industry provides to customers. Two less obvious kinds of markets are no less necessary for a market system. One is markets for intermediate services and goods produced for other producers. The other is market for capital. In market systems people do not go their own way; they are tied together and turned this way or that through market interactions. In our time it is a governed market system, heavily burdened or ornamented with what old-fashioned free marketers decry as ‘interferences’. Although buying and selling may be natural to human-kind, market systems are not. The market system that lies closest to our span of attention is the capitalist market system. In ostensibly democratic societies, market skeptics sometimes fear that the market system may bring an end to democracy. One of their fears is that big corporations already exercise powers inconsistent with democracy; and that multinational corporations overwhelm small nation-states. Despite the growing consensus in favor of the market system, it is of course possible that the millions of people who now endorse it are on the wrong track. A market system can coordinate human behavior or activity with a range and a precision beyond...
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... Ethics Ethical theories are based on questions of how humans should behave with each other. These theories give guidance and define what is right and wrong and how such behavior can aid in building a unified society. There are three major types of ethical theories; deontological, utilitarian, and virtue ethics and each theory brings with it a different set of strengths and weaknesses. While the three types of ethical theories contain great meaning, time has shown that universal ethical principles cannot be achieved because ethics is a learned behavior and cultural relativists will argue that right or wrong is decided by each individual culture. Deontological Theory Immanuel Kant is a philosopher most famous for his rationalism of the deontological theory. According to Kant, deontological theories are based on a duty that humans have a moral obligation to behave according to certain principles or laws. Kant questions what the fundamental source of morality and duty is, as well as what actions are committed by humans to justify an evaluation of those actions as right or wrong. Kant’s conclusion is that the ability we possess to rationally make decisions and our free will is the source of morality. Kant further concludes that rationality is the only action that can dictate the rules of morality (Kantian, n.d.). Kant’s categorical imperatives are certain rules that are a requirement or demand of how humans need to act and there are no exceptions to the rules. Kant provides...
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...Ethical Analysis of News Issue: Animal Rights Clearly define the ethical issue and provide a brief explanation as to why it is important. (4 marks) To many people, the concept of animal rights is absurd and long drawn. However, animal activism has increased in the recent past with formation of such organizations as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) that seek to incorporate ethics when addressing issues related to animals (Joyce 2014, par. 1). Apparently, animal rights activists argue that animals too have rights as is with human beings. Their arguments are anchored in the premise that there should ethical rules that guide our treatment of animals. This implies that human beings have no permission to do some of the things on an animal notwithstanding the situation (Bekoff 2009, p. 14). In fact, the animal rights advocacy groups agitate for legislation of non-negotiable prohibition of animal mistreatment. However, there is a growing concern about the specific rights that animals given the fact that majority of definitions have not actually outlined the rights. The issue of animal rights is important especially in the wake of public policies that are informed by the arguments of animal ethics. Just recently, Australia and New Zealand had to cut their exports of animals to Pakistan given the brutality and cruelty that the animals suffered when being slaughtered (Joyce 2014, par. 6). For majority of the activists, animals have intrinsic value and...
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...better guide to moral behavior and differentiate between the rights and responsibilities of human beings to themselves and society. Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill are philosophers who addressed the issues of morality in terms of how moral customs are formed. Immanuel Kant presented one perspective in The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals that is founded on his belief that the worth of man is inherent in his skill to reason. John Stuart Mill holds another belief as presented in the book, Utilitarianism, which is seemingly conflicting with the thoughts of Kant. What is most unique about the ethics of morality is the idea of responsibilities to particular individuals. According to both Mill and Kant, moral obligations are not fundamentally particularistic because they are rooted in universal moral principles. Both philosophers have made great impacts in their niche areas in the field. An analysis of their theories may help develop a better understanding of them and their theories. Mill holds an empiricist theory while Kant holds a rationalist theory. Kant explains morality through forms that he believes are essential to free and sensible judgment. Mill’s utilitarian approach is a form of consequential theory because the rightness or wrongness of an act is determined by the outcomes. Kant’s ethics of duty is the foundation for his categorical imperative, which gives the basis for his universal duty based theory. Mill’s theory of utilitarianism is the main structure...
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...Sherbrooke, Canada Abstract Purpose – The aim of this study is to know if ethical theories could be connected to some leadership approaches. Design/methodology/approach – In the paper eight leadership approaches are selected: directive leadership, self-leadership, authentic leadership, transactional leadership, shared leadership, charismatic leadership, servant leadership, transformational leadership. Five western ethical theories (philosophical egoism, utilitarianism, Kantianism, ethics of virtue, ethics of responsibility) are analyzed to see to what extent their basic concepts could be connected to one or the other leadership approach. Findings – A given ethical theory (such as philosophical egoism) could be suitable to the components of various leadership approaches. Ethical leadership does not imply that a given leadership approach is reflecting only one ethical theory. Rather, ethical leadership implies that for different reasons, various leadership approaches could agree with the same ethical theory. This is what we could call the “moral flexibility of leadership approaches”. Research limitations/implications – This study focuses on western ethical theories. A similar study should be undertaken for Eastern ethical theories coming from Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, or Daoism. Practical implications – Some dualisms (such as Kantianism-transformational leadership, philosophical egoism-transactional leadership) do not reflect the philosophical connections between ethical theories and...
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...Considering the case at hand the situation is really a difficult and complicated one. The doctor has two options left with him. He can either wrongfully use the organs of the pizza delivery guy to save the lives of his five patients or he can just let the pizza delivery guy leave after delivering the pizza without causing any harm to him and thereby, letting his patient stay in the critical condition. This situation calls for an ethical analysis and in this regard the ethical theories of Kant and Mill should be brought under light to justify the action, which can be called appropriate on the part of the doctor. If I had been the doctor I would have considered both the ethical theories of Kant and Mill. I would have first considered the ethics...
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