...approaches in normative ethics. It may, initially, be identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach which emphasizes duties or rules (deontology) or that which emphasizes the consequences of actions (consequentialism). Suppose it is obvious that someone in need should be helped. A utilitarian will point to the fact that the consequences of doing so will maximize well-being, a deontologist to the fact that, in doing so the agent will be acting in accordance with a moral rule such as “Do unto others as you would be done by” and a virtue ethicist to the fact that helping the person would be charitable or benevolent.” (Hursthouse R, 2012) Virtue theory looks for the good, the excellence and could be classified as the character of the person. Utilitarianism theory emphasizes more in the action that produces more utility for a group than an individual’s interests “the greatest good for the greatest number.” Boylan, M. (2009). The last theory is Deontology this ethic theory is focused more in the duties or rules, so persons make choices based on the thing that we must to do not base on they want to do. In my personal and professional experience I have to make decisions everyday base in either one of these theories. For example at work I have many rules to...
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...INTRODUCTION In ethics, consequentialism is explain that an action should be judged right or wrong on the basis of their consequences. Consequentialism theory is also known teleological moral theories. Which teleological word is from Greek ” Telos”,means “end” and ” logos” means “science”. This theory of morality derives duty or moral obligation from what is good or desirable as an end to be achieved. This general approach can be applied at different levels to different normative properties of different kinds of things, but the most prominent example is consequentialism about the moral rightness of acts, which holds that whether an act is morally right depends only on the consequences of that act or of something related to that act, such as the motive behind the act or a general rule requiring acts of the same kind. ( www. plato.stanford.edu) Consequentialist, have two major theories that is ethical egoism and utilitarianism. Both these theories agree that human beings ought to behave in ways that will bring about good consequences. They differ, however, in that they disagree on who should benefit from these consequences. The ethical egoist essentially says that human beings ought to act in the interest of all concerned. ( Jacques P. Thiroux , Keith W. Krasemann) The rough idea behind ethical egoism is that the right thing to do is to look out for own self-interest. That’s mean we are morally required only to make ourselves as happy as possible and have...
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...Some Ethical Theories: Consequentialism: Acts are right if they have good consequences, wrong if they have bad consequences. Hedonistic Consequentialism: [Bentham] Consequences are to be judged according to the amount of pleasure and pain they include. The more pleasure (and the less pain), the better. Ethical Egoism: Consequences are to be judged according to the amount of benefit they afford to the actor. The more beneficial, the better. Each person's sole obligation is to do what will be best for herself. Consequentialist theories generally have three parts: 1)Theory of the right: an act is right iff it maximizes good. 2)Theory of what's good: Pleasure, happiness, excellence of character, wealth, power... 3) Whose good matters? Everyones (universalist). Only the actors [only mine] (egoist). Utilitarianism: (Mill) Consequentialist theory of right: actions are right if they produce the best consequences. Theory of the Good: What makes consequences good is that they include more happiness and less misery. Egalitarian Distribution: Every creature capable of experiencing happiness and misery counts equally. ' Act Utilitarianism: Acts are right iff they produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Rule Utilitarianism: Acts are right iff they are consistent with rules which, if followed by everyone, would produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Deontological Theories: (Kant) Duty-centered theories, which hold that a person's 'duty'...
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...STRENGTHS OF DENTOLOGY: Deontology is based on duties and rights and respects individuals as ends in themselves. It places value on the intentions of the individual (rather than the outcomes of any action) and focuses on rules, obligations and duties. Deontology requires absolute adherence to these obligations and acting from duty is viewed as acting ethically. The deontological thinkers tend to think about care delivered through a long term continuous relationship. To them breaking care up into smaller fragments is a denial of what caring is really about. They maintain equity and considers every individual equally and worthy of protection. Motivation is valued over consequences, which are beyond our control. An immoral motive cannot be justifies by unforeseen good consequences but a good motive is worthy of value. It provides guidelines for making moral decisions , without the need for lengthy calculation of possible outcomes. It recognises the value of moral absolutes that do not change with time or culture. Deontology sports a fair trial of right or wrong as it depends on a universally accepted morality approach. It also makes the philosopher study both sides of a situation without compromising the outcomes. WEAKNESS OF DENTOLOGY: Deontology: One of the key criticisms in healthcare is that applying a strictly deontological approach to healthcare can lead to conflicts of interest between equally entitled individuals which can be difficult or even seemingly impossible...
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...Project Part 3 In this section I will be discussing how my personal code of ethics addresses consequentialism and non-consequentialism, self interest and other interestedness, and the issues of act of rule. First of all, my personal code of ethics addresses consequentialism by 2 major consequentialists ethical theories which are ethical egoism and utilitarianism. Both of these theories believe that humans should behave in ways that will bring out good consequences. The difference between the two are that they disagree on who should benefit from these consequences. Ethical egoism says that human beings should act in their own self-interest, where utilitarians basically say that human beings should act in interest of all concerned. Now deep into the ethical egoism my code would more address universal ethical egoism because like most other theories it’s universal. An ethical theory that applies to all human beings. This theory does not state only what the individual should do, rather it concerning itself with all human beings should do if they want to be moral. They should act in their own self-interest. On the other hand with utilitarianism is addressed by stating that everyone should perform that act which will bring about the greatest amount of good over bad for everyone affected by the act. The belief is to not believe in setting up rules for action because they feel that each situation and each person are different. Each individual must assess the situation they are...
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...Consequentialism or Justice An important role in defining justice is the concept of right. Hooker (2011), " A consequentialist theory that presupposes both that justice is constituted by such-and-such and that justice is one of the things to be promoted does not explain why the components of justice are important.” (para. 12). This paper is a reflection of Team’s D thoughts about Chapter 5, “Consequentialism or Justice.” The consequentialism theory is a decision of an individual who will cause a greater good for all. An individual should take the complete relating information and consider every possible option that will provide a decision that will provide every person with greater good. The decision should not affect just one person, or a small group, but each client. At a sleepover party, a rule of not playing with fire should not be set for just one child. The rule should be set for every child in the house because fire is harmful. Every child will benefit from the rule. Distributive justice is the assistance that every human has an equal chance. It provides an ability to help make sure every person has goods equal to others, for the greater good. The goods are not meant to be materialistic, they are meant to be for safety and health for healthy living. The theory intersects with Tamara’s personal value because where Tamara lives, she sees a community that lives by social justice. Many in the neighborhood make informal contracts among each other and use the...
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...utilitarianism 1. Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism, which states that the consequences of any action are the only standard of right and wrong. This view can be contrasted or combined with virtue ethics which holds virtue as a moral good. Some believe that one's intentions are also ethically important. Singer did account for if bob would have saved the boy then there would be no car yes, but I also think there would have been a way for bob to save the boy as well as save the car as well. 2. Utilitarianism is distinctly different from other forms of consequentialism such as egoism as it considers all interests equally. Proponents of utilitarianism have been split about whether individual acts should conform to utility or whether agents should conform to ethical rules. Utilitarian’s additionally remain split about whether utility should be calculated as an aggregate (total utilitarianism) or an average (average utilitarianism). 3. Utilitarian moral theories purport to be in favor of maximizing the well-being of all concerned. In accordance with this principle, several of an agent’s values must receive protection while practicing any form of utilitarianism, considering protection of human rights to be conducive to human well-being. Autonomy would seem to be one such value. In utilitarian theory, however, autonomy appears to have its value only in its existence as a means to the greater end of well-being. This observance raises the question of whether or not a utilitarian...
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...Mill’s Utilitarianism) Explain the main differences between Act and Rule Utilitarianism (or other variants) Apply the theory: Explain a Utilitarian approach to issues raised by fertility treatment (or any other issue) Evaluate the theory: Explain the main strengths of a Utilitarian ethical system (or e.g. Bentham’s Utilitarianism) What are Utilitarianism’s main weaknesses? To what extent is Utilitarianism a useful method of making decisions about euthanasia? (or any other issue) Explain the theory: The principle of utility (teleological, consequentialist) Bentham (Hedonism, Hedonic Calculus, quantitative) Mill (qualitative, higher/lower pleasures, individual sovereignty) Act/Rule Utilitarianism Preference Utilitarianism (Hare, Singer) and other advances Evaluate the theory: Strengths Makes the world a better place (Bentham/Mill were reformers who made positive changes) Practical and useful (this is the way lottery money is distributed or hospital budgets are spent) and easy to use Flexible – allows for the fact that people find happiness in different ways in other societies Overcomes problems inherent in deontological ethics (what do you do if two rules clash?) Easy to apply, and intuitive – if it upsets people, don’t do it, but why is it wrong if no one gets hurt? Fair – treats everyone’s pleasure as equal, challenging elitism and any form of favouritism Weaknesses Consequentialism is inherently flawed – it is easy to think of examples of wrong...
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...diminishing the resolve of the prisoner through torture. These efforts of torture would also be associated with consequentialism, which is results oriented; driven to achieve the best results by any means necessary and doing whatever is needed to get the job done by allowing the ends to justify the means. Obtaining the needed information by means of torture for the benefit of saving human lives would be the underlying principle of achieving the greatest good for the greater number of individuals involved. Kantian duty-based ethics states, “we must act out of regard for duty and respect for moral law, (…) always treat persons as ends and not just as means” (Holmes, Pg. 63), which would be associated with deontology that is ruled based. As an American being threatened with terrorist attacks, which would cause massive loss of life, a duty to America and its citizens would be to obtain any and all necessary intelligence that would aid in preventing such an act. Acting on a moral and civic duty to country and person(s) as well as a respect for life, deontologists would not necessarily be against having good consequences and imparting those said consequences upon the prisoner who wants to partake in devaluing American life. Virtue ethics and Christian-principle based ethics are both biblically based with high moral reasoning, they both speak to practiced faith, rules, character of person, temperament and self-control. According to Holmes, “virtues are what constitute the good life:...
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...Against “Against Utilitarianism” Utilitarianism, a form of consequentialism, is one of the most notable and influential moral theories. The basic concept behind utilitarianism is that the morality of an action is based solely on the consequences it produces. People possessing utilitarian views believe that a person’s actions should be chosen to maximize utility for the greater good of all people. In the article “Against Utilitarianism,” British philosopher Bernard Williams aims to discredit the validity of the utilitarian argument. He supports his argument through examples of moral dilemmas and working definitions of utilitarian terms. Although Williams presents a compelling case against utilitarianism, such a prominent theory in philosophy cannot be reproached so quickly. Utilitarianism enhances overall happiness and utility without disparaging individual integrity. The concepts making up utilitarianism are extensive, however two of the most fundamental concepts include negative responsibility and integrity. Negative responsibility is the belief that a person is as responsible for the consequences of an action that they failed to prevent as they are for the actions they carry out. The idea of negative responsibility is directly related to utilitarianism because it deals with the concept that a person is responsible for consequences brought about by their being. This includes a person’s lack of action which, in itself, is considered an action to a utilitarian. Based on negative...
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...find obligation to bind us to rules wither they are rules we like or dislike. The word deontology steams from the Greek word for duty (deon) and science (or study) of (logos). (www.britannica.com) The logos in Greek referees to the principle of order and knowledge. Truly I am in a conquest of seeking knowledge and how the knowing can give me an edge in my personal, physical, mental and spiritual life. I have always patterned myself as a seeker. The normative theory of deontology enamors me to want more of logos. Consequentialism stats that when you make a decision you truly do not know the consequences until after the action has ended. Which is only partial to the outcome of our action. A deontologist knows that all means have a consequence and in reasoning you can know what some of those consequences are before even making that action. Such an example would be that a consequentialist jumps of a cliff in hopes that he can fly only to find that his actions did not pan out and he is splat on a ground. A deontologist argues that if he would jump off a cliff he would not fly because of the pressure he feels whenever he picks something up off the ground. Neither has studied physics but, the deontologist knows that all actions have a reaction because of rationality or a drawing of logical inferences. A deontologist will base a right or wrong action on the duty to do something or not do something, one’s own intentions and a list of established rules. So a deontologist stats that...
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...Torture Despite the strong commitments of the US legal system of torture, ever since 9/11, torture became an acceptable tool to be used. The practice of torture is difficult to address because there is not a concrete definition of what torture is. Thinking torture can be justified is not the same as thinking it is necessary. A survey posted by The Huffington Post, concluded that respondents were more uncertain about whether information gained through torturing suspected terrorists is generally reliable or unreliable. The survey also found significant uncertainty over whether the U.S. had used torture to track down Big Laden, as the new movie “Zero Dark Thirty” portrays. As defined by dictionary.com, “torture is the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty.” However, there are many other definitions. Defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture, torture is an act where intentional pain is inflicted on a purpose. According to the Third Geneva Convention, torture is known to cause no “no physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever”. Who draws the line as to which specific practices are harsh enough to correspond to those words? Some have suggested that torture is worse than killing, and that torturing the innocent is morally worse than murder. The most prevalent forms...
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...expenses reached to the company’s limitation. These expenses even include many things which don't relevant to employees themselves and irrationality such as: * One employee submitted a bill for $12 for a tin of cookies * $625 for wallpapering included in her travel expenses and even had the receipt written in foreign language in order to throw off any questions * $275 sports jacket submitted as a restaurant bill. If one employee adds $1 in his/ her bill, it may not affect a lot but let's imagine that every employees in company do that times by times, what's happen and what consequences does company have to face up with? 2. Ethical issues Firstly, in the aspect of personal integrity, employees in the case violated some rules relate to the necessary integrity for matures. Confront to these situations, an honest adult will need to carefully consider in order keeping them away from the faults. Pressure and attraction from “extra income” can be a strong motivation leading to the thoughts and decisions differ to their conscience. They ignore thinking what is right, and just act accordingly. In the case situation, these employees always...
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...Runaway Ethics: Determining Preferred Courses of Action Through Ethical Analysis of the 2009 Toyota Motor Company Automobile Recall In September 2009, Japanese automotive manufacturer Toyota issued a recall of 3.8 million vehicles due to “unintended acceleration” that was believed to be caused by loose floor mats becoming lodged under the gas pedal due to a design flaw in the pedal layout. Since the initial recall, which affected seven models ranging from 2004 to 2010, more details have emerged. Instances of surges in acceleration in Toyota vehicles have been investigated by the NHTSA on six separate occasions since 2003 and over two thousand owners have claimed to experience the phenomenon. Consumer Reports examined cases of unintended acceleration surges in the United States for 2008 and forty-one percent of all instances involved Toyota vehicles. Most tragically, sixteen people have been killed in accidents resulting from unintended acceleration in Toyotas and over two hundred-forty have been injured. As a short-term fix, Toyota brand dealers began removing floor mats or fastening them to the floor pan in order to prevent lodging under the accelerator. More recently, dealerships have begun reshaping or shortening accelerator pedals until replacements become available for installation. However, some consumer groups have criticized Toyota’s sluggish and secretive response, and a national class-action lawsuit has been filed against Toyota alleging that the floor mats...
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...Ethics Essay Marlina Ralstin ETH/316 December 3, 2012 Denise Antoon Ethics Essay The subject of ethics can be quite controversial, especially when the three major theories are vying for front-line attention. Understanding why people react to specific situations the way they do is beneficial from any stand point in life whether profession or personal. In the following paragraphs ethics will be defined, as will the three theories; virtue, deontology, and utilitarian. The similarities and differences of these three theories will be discussed, as will the differences in how each theory addresses ethics and morality. Lastly, utilization of a personal experience will be used to explain the relationship between virtue, value, and moral concepts as they relate to one of the three theories; deontology, utilitarian, and virtue ethics. Ethics according to the text, Basic ethics: Basic ethics in action is defined as the science of the right and wrong in human actions. The study of human actions has intrigued many scientists over the ages hence the different disciplines of ethics (i.e. deontological, utilitarian, and virtue ethics). The text provides the following definitions: Deontology is a theory that emphasizes one’s duty to do a particular action simply because the action itself is inherently right and not because of any calculations of consequences. Deontology operates on the principle of right, regardless of harm or if to do less than right would be of greater benefit...
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