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Individual Ethics Essay

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Submitted By swillie57
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.Individual Ethics Essay
Willie Lee Small Jr.
ETH/316
June 18, 2012
G. EDWARD MC CULLOUGH

Individual Ethics Essay
Three theories that will be discussed in this paper are virtue theory, utilitarianism theory, and deontological theory. Although they have similarities, they each also have differences that will be explained. Each theory are related to ethics and morality, which should help to understand why they have differences, because ethics and morality are both closely related but have differences as well.
Virtue-based ethical theories place less emphasis on which rules people should follow and instead focus on helping people develop good character traits, such as kindness and generosity, (Cline, no date). This theory challenges ones ethical behavior from a standpoint of a person`s actions as opposed to the character of the person. We tend to judge others by their actions rather than their personal character, because a person can be considered to have good ethical standards but he or she may not always display such a character at all times. A person can tell you how they feel about certain situations and how everyone should respond, but may not respond the way that they express.
Utilitarianism theory “suggest that an action is morally right when that action produces more total utility for the group as a consequence than any other alternative does” (Bolan, 2009). Morals are a means that help us to understand that is important to put others before ourselves, which is a great way to exemplify sacrifice. It is better to be selfless than selfish. However, many of us choose to be selfish because it may be difficult to love others as you love yourself, especially if loving yourself is a struggle for you. I would not suggest that a person give his or her money that is to pay their car note for the month, but to assist an individual according to how you are

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