...Max Carey Ethics Paper 2 December 2, 2011 The Argument for Consequentialism Consequentialism and Imannuel Kant’s Theory of Moral Value provide a good framework for deciding what right actions are and specifically what actions are deemed intrinsically valuable. Consequentialism is going to emphasize that actions maximizing intrinsic value for all people affected by a situation are morally right while Kant is going to stress that only the motive behind an action determines whether an action is right, regardless of the consequences. Although consequentialism attributes the rightness of an action only on a consequence, consequentialist theories are more comprehensive theories of right action because they consider both motives and consequences in making moral decision, whereas Kant’s theory does not. Consequentialist theories of right action have two components. The first component states that a consequentialist theory will always answer what is intrinsically valuable. An object or thing that has intrinsic value is something that has value for its own sake. For example, pleasure and the feeling of happiness are intrinsically valuable because they are good in and of itself. The specific thing that is deemed intrinsically valuable can change according to what consequentialist theory one accepts. For example, utilitarians find the welfare of sentient beings intrinsically valuable while a hedonistic utilitarian finds only pleasure intrinsically valuable. The second...
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...Max Carey Ethics Paper 2 December 2, 2011 The Argument for Consequentialism Consequentialism and Imannuel Kant’s Theory of Moral Value provide a good framework for deciding what right actions are and specifically what actions are deemed intrinsically valuable. Consequentialism is going to emphasis that actions maximizing intrinsic value of all people affected by a situation are morally right while Kant is going to stress that only the motive behind an action determines whether an action is right, regardless of the consequences. Although consequentialism attributes the rightness of an action only on a consequence, consequentialist theories are broader theories of right action because they consider both motives and consequences in making moral decision, whereas Kant’s theory does not. Consequentialist theories of right action have two components. The first component states that a consequentialist theory will always answer what is intrinsically valuable. An object or thing that has intrinsic value is something that has value for its own sake. For example, pleasure and the feeling of happiness are intrinsically valuable because they are good in and of itself. The specific thing that is deemed intrinsically valuable can change according to what consequentialist theory one accepts. For example, utilitarians find the welfare of sentient beings intrinsically valuable while a hedonist finds only pleasure intrinsically valuable. The second component of consequentialist...
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...Evaluating the Moral Justification of Force in the UK Police Consequentialism and the Use of Deadly Force Among Police Personnel in the UK Against a backdrop of a democratic society, the use of deadly force by the police in countries such as the UK seems implausible for human rights activists. First, police officers are expected to uphold the human rights of every individual hence, civilian rights are always preserved even in criminal cases where the due process of law is considered to be the golden standard in the judicial system. Thus, threading the line between regulations and policies of the agency as well as the ethical and moral dilemma in the use of deadly force predisposes police officers to question the legitimacy as well as the moral justifications in their use of deadly force. While several philosophical theorists have argued for different justifications through philosophical theories, the theory of consequentialism appears to be the one that closely justifies the use of deadly force among the police. Before examining the moral and ethical arguments for the use of deadly force using the consequentialist paradigm, let us first examine the important aspects of deadly force and the use of it by the UK police. First, deadly force as defined by Geller and Scott (23) pertains to the force reasonably capable of causing death or bodily harm. According to this definition, an act that can kill should be consumated before it can be considered as a deadly force hence; threats...
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...Martha Nussbaum is known for her views on Virtue Ethics. She believes that Virtue Ethics are an alternative perspective rather than an opposition towards Deontology and Consequentialism. Utilitarianism is a type of consequentialism, which refers to the belief that a moral action should be carried out without any exceptions. For example, killing out a person of self-defense is wrong according to Utilitarianism because killing a person is an immoral act. Virtue Ethics can be defined as an approach that emphasizes an individual's character as the key element of ethical thinking. It involves a person rationally trying to achieve moral excellence as the ultimate goal. It differs from Deontology, which is rule-based, regarding whether or not a...
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...are: consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics. Consequentialism is the view that the value of actions is derived solely from the value of its consequences. In accounting, this approach is used to analyze which decision is most ethical based on the harms and benefits to the stakeholders; basically, it is the decision that does the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. In short, consequentialism is the decision is ethical if the positive outcome is greater than the negative outcome. Deontology is the ethical theory that is concerned with duties and rights. Whereas consequentialism is concerned with actions consequences, deontology is concerned with the obligation or duty motivating the decision (Brooks, 2007, p. 330). Decisions are based around moral standards, rights, fairness, and principles. Virtue ethics seems to lie somewhere between consequentialism and deontology; its primary concern is with traits of character that are morally right. Virtue ethics focuses on an individual’s integrity and character in relation to the moral community, such as professional communities (Brooks, 2007, p. 332). Scenario 1 The consequentialism approach is in favor of economic prosperity; the most favorable consequence for the greatest amount of people. This approach would demolish the senior citizens nursing home and recreation center, displacing the elderly citizens in favor of the developer’s plans for a mall and resort. In this case, the consequentialism approach...
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...business value morals? Does it display the type of ethics people expect? Businesses should operate with upstanding ethics and morals that show they value their employees as well as the consumers who are essential to the success of a business. Do businesses have an obligation to be moral? To ask that question one is asking if there is an authority telling the business what is right and wrong. To view a business overall as moral is questionable at best. More likely it could be said individuals within the business are moral. With that one needs to think more in terms of whether or not the business is ethical. Having good ethics, a system of appropriate and good conducts, are important for a business. It leads to good morale with the employees as well as showing consumers that the business is trustworthy. Some of the things to look at are the mentalities that drive a business. What motivates their way of thinking to set forth a set of ethics? Does it come down to one person and their beliefs or are a business’s ethics set by a collective standard? What is the basis for a company to decide what is good or bad for business? For most it seems that upper managements set forth the standards that the business holds as their ethics of practice. This can vary greatly from company to company dependent on the individual group’s views. Some businesses may operate on a consequentialist’s belief system. Consequentialism is the theory that the value and especially the moral value of an act...
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... Ethical egoism is the normative ethical position that moral agents ought to do what is in their own self-interest. It differs from psychological egoism, which claims that people can only act in their self-interest. Ethical egoism also differs from rational egoism, which holds that it is rational to act in one's self-interest. Ethical egoism contrasts with ethical altruism, which holds that moral agents have an obligation to help others. Egoism and altruism both contrast with ethical utilitarianism, which holds that a moral agent should treat one's self with no higher regard than one has for others as egoism does, by elevating self-interests and the self to a status not granted to others, but that one also should not as altruism does sacrifice one's own interests to help others' interests, so long as one's own interests (i.e. one's own desires or well-being) are substantially equivalent to the others' interests and well-being. Egoism, utilitarianism, and altruism are all forms of consequentialism, but egoism and altruism contrast with utilitarianism, in that egoism and altruism are both agent-focused forms of consequentialism (i.e. subject-focused or subjective), but utilitarianism is called agent-neutral (i.e. objective and impartial) as it does not treat the subject's (i.e. the self's, i.e. the moral "agent's") own interests as being more or less important than the interests, desires, or well-being of others. Ethical egoism has two flaws which...
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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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...Decision Making Wayne Lambeth ACC 260 Donna Adams November 4, 2012 My classmates as well as I were required to evaluate philosophical methods that were used in Appendix B. Evaluating these methods would consist of whether or not a course of action that was taken made sense. I will discuss the philosophical approaches and determine whether or not that the course of action were ethical decisions and was it the best decision for the correct reasons in addition to determining the reasons are ethical. There are three key factors to evaluating philosophical approaches and they consist of consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics. Consequentialism is the theory of the value especially the moral value that would be judged by its consequences. Deontology is slightly different due to focusing on moral responsibility as well as the obligation of motivating the decisions that are made or the actions of the consequence. Virtue ethics has to deal with moral within a community as well as the integrity of an individual. The following scenarios has an ethics dilemma that be addressed. Scenario 1 The mayor is faced with building a new development that will create new jobs and economic stability to a community that really needs it and the dilemma is that it has to be built where the community center for the elderly is located and they will be displaced. Consequentialism in this situation would be for the mayor to approve the building of the development and the...
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...Ethics in Medicine: The Moral Compass Introduction to Health Care 02/16/15 Morals are the compass each of us have inside of us that help us to make decisions. They guide towards good and evil, or right and wrong. The thing that makes morals so unique and interesting is that no two compasses are exactly the same just as no two people are the same. The health care industry is probably one of the most praised and criticized industries for its moral compass. If we look solely at the topic of abortion from a moral standpoint the spectrum of beliefs is very wide. This paper will discuss four different moral principles and compare them. The first moral principle is beneficence. Beneficence is defined as “acts of mercy, kindness, and charity.”(1) It can also mean to, “Refer to an action done to benefit others”(1). In terms of medicine this means to do all that you can do to your patients. This principle is unique because how do you define what a benefit to another is. For example physician assisted suicide for example is a benefit to the person who is ill. But what is the benefit to the child or parent whom is left behind. Let’s say someone has ALS, the prognosis is terminal. They are going to die from this disease because the fluid will continue to build in their lungs and eventually they will stop breathing. Now if that person who is suffering tremendously with their illness can benefit and not suffer anymore isn’t the physician helping them? Or is the physician...
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...far. What is good? (1–2 sentences) Aristotle – Virtue Ethics | Mill – Utilitarianism | Kant – Deontology | Consequentialism | Noddings – Care Ethics | For Aristotle, good is “every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim.” (Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1) | For J.S. Mill, decreasing pain and increasing pleasure is good. However, not all pleasure is the same. Mill argues that intellectual pleasures are superior to bodily pleasures (Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapter 2). | For Kant, good will is exercised by acting according to moral duty/law. Moral law consists of a set of maxims, which are categorical in nature – we are bound by duty to act in accordance with categorical imperatives. | Good is a morally right act (or omission from acting) is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. | | What path or rule do you follow to achieve the good? (1–2 sentences) Aristotle – Virtue Ethics | Mill – Utilitarianism | Kant – Deontology | Consequentialism | Noddings – Care Ethics | For Aristotle, virtue is the way to achieve the good. Moral virtue is a state of character and can only be acquired by habit. In other words, we need to practice being morally virtuous in order to be virtuous. Aristotle describes moral virtue as a mean. We act morally, if we do the right thing, at the right time, “with reference to the right objects...
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...6. What is Consequentialism? Explain/Define the following varieties of the term: A. Utilitarianism B. Hedonistic C. Endamonic D. Aesthetic E. Altruistic • Consequentialism is a theory of right, which takes the requirement to pick the act with the best upshot as the sole obligation. • Consequentialism holds that an action is morally right if, and only if, the action has one of the best overall consequences. In the absence of a “tie,” there will only be one right action; this action is morally required and other actions are morally forbidden. A. Utilitarianism • Utilitarianism is consequentialism coupled with a specific theory of good, welfarism. • Utilitarianism holds that an action is morally right if, and only if, the action has the consequences with (one of) the greatest overall amount of well-being. • In other words, utilitarianism holds that an act is right if, and only if, the action has one of the best consequences from the utilitarian point of view. B. Hedonistic • To a HEDONIST, happiness is having all the pleasure one can obtain. • Everyone deserves as much pleasure as possible. • Pleasure is automatically good. • No amount of pleasure is ever too much. • The absence of pleasure is a misfortune for which compensation is due. C. Eudaemonic • Not a whole philosophical system, only an ethical system • Eudaemonistic: Directed toward happiness; Spiritual directedness toward the...
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...A View on Morals Introduction Most of the Greek philosophers agreed that virtue is a form of knowledge. They thought that self-testing leads to self-knowledge that then leads to a good life. Aristotle found the moral virtues are based on knowledge in a way that is "about us" whereas Confucius believed that the greatest virtue a person could have was respect for the rules of propriety, the ones governing the attitudes of society. Both Aristotle and Confucius deny the thesis that virtue by its self is enough for happiness, and while they would say that happiness comes about by a process of self-examination, they would not favor cross-examination. Both Aristotle and Confucius habituation, ritualization, and emulating moral persons are essential for the good life. Why Should One Be Moral? One should be moral since it can be very useful as it saves a lot of confusion and having to fight with oneself. Morals allow you to perceive rules clearly and to function well in a variety of cultures without conflict. People with moral standards sleep well at night. They take great pride in knowing that their intentions and actions are honorable. They also stay true to their beliefs, do right by others, and always take the high ground. They enjoy meaningful relationships based on openness, honesty, and mutual respect. When you have well moral character, people know that your character is dependable, your heart is in peace, and your word is good. They don't worry about embarrassment...
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...Utilitarianism, Ethical Egoism, and Moral Relativism Tom Gardner Ethics is a branch of philosophy that attempts to answer the questions; what’s right? What’s wrong? And why? Moral relativism is an ethics position that essentially states that people have disagreeing moral beliefs and therefore you must but tolerant of other's morals. This position leads to the problematic realization that if this is the case there can be no objective moral truths nor can there be any universal principles. Act utilitarianism and ethical egoism are two different ethics theories that attempt to respond to this challenge of moral relativism in different ways. Ethical egoism attempts to respond to the challenge of moral relativism by justifying that there is a universal principle for what actions are right and what are wrong. It is a form of consequentialism, which means it looks solely at the consequences of action to see if it is right or wrong. The defining sentence of egoism is as follows, “What's good for you is right and what's bad for you is wrong.” This phrase can be interpreted in a number of ways, the most popular one being: every person should act in their own self-interest. This means that when deciding on whether an action is good, any effect on others (mental or physical) by said action has no merit. An egoist that is measuring or justifying an action's goodness is only examining the possible positive or negative effects this action will have on him. The majority of the justification...
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...Moral Theory, Depression, and the Medication By: Vincent Vuong (20315765) 3B Environment and Business Depression is a condition where the patient is in a constant state of unhappiness. It is like a parasite that slowly consumes life. It eats away at members of society, and debilitates them. Thus, victims of this condition are unable to enjoy the beauties of life and engage the things they love; Business decreases in efficiency because of increased absenteeism; and in severe cases, patients commit suicide. This issue was addressed and a successful solution was found. Our pharmaceutical company has synthesized a drug that can help patients deal with the symptoms of severe depression. A lot of money has been put into research and development, and with a 99% success rate it is very likely that this medication will become the main treatment for depression. However, the remaining 1% will have an increase in the negative symptoms which can lead to suicide. The company needs to decide whether or not it is a good idea to release this medication, but the board is having a hard time coming to an agreement. The issue of that 1% is still a consequence that stands out to people. The company has a few options in its current situation. The first option would be to go on ahead with the release of the medication and deal with the consequences as they come, because they have already invested so much money into research, and the treatment is mostly successful. The second option would be...
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