Ethics Essay
This essay will compare and contrast the similarities and differences between virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics. It will also give a description of the differences in how each theory addresses ethics and morality.
Virtue ethics is one of the three significant approaches in normative ethics. Initially it is identified as the one that emphasizes the moral character in contrast to the approach which emphasizes duties or rules or that which emphasizes the consequences of ethical or unethical actions (Hursthouse, 2012). An example of the virtue theory would be the famous quote “Treat others the way you would want to be treated.” A flaw in this theory is that it does not take into consideration a person’s change in moral character.
The next theory is Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is based on the ability to determine the consequences of an action before acting on it. Many people use this theory on a case by case situation, meaning choosing what action is more beneficial for that person or people. Utilitarianism is broken down into two categories; act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. In act utilitarianism, person performs the acts that benefit the most people, regardless of personal feelings or the laws or rules; for example boycotts. Rule utilitarianism takes consideration into the laws and fairness of the actions.
Immanuel Kant created another theory called deontological theory. Deontological theory deals with right action and the nature of duty, without regard to the goodness or value of motives. It basically states that a person should pursue their obligations regardless to the good or bad of the actions. For example lying, parents tell their children not to lie and for them to tell the truth, however if the children see or hear the parents lying to others the children may go about it to think it is okay to lie.
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