Ethical Theory Examination: Virtue, Utilitarianism, And Deontology
Ethical Theory Examination
Ethical Theory Examination
An action can be considered ethical or unethical depending on the perspective. There are three main theories of ethics: virtue, utilitarianism, and deontology. Each theory uses different criteria to determine if an action is ethical. Although the idea of performing ethical actions is similar, each theory follows a different approach.
The virtue theory of ethics determines what is right and wrong based upon how it will affect one’s character. Essentially, an action will be considered ethical if it is a “noble” action (Boylan, 2009). This theory can best be described by relating it to medieval knights of fairytales. In these stories, knights would take the noble action to maintain the purity of their character. …show more content…
Utilitarianism ethics focus more on the consequences of an action to determine if it is ethical.
According to this theory, the best and ethical course of action to take is the solution that provides the best consequences for the group or community (Boylan, 2009). This theory places the needs of the group above the needs of the individual. If there is more than one solution to a problem, the most ethical solution would be the one that provides the greatest good for the community.
The theory of deontology bases its ethical code on the adherence to an established set of guidelines (Boylan, 2009). The right action is not decided based on consequences or how it will affect character, but rather on the principles of whether the action is right or wrong. There is no gray area in deontology. An action is evaluated on the action alone, not on why it was
performed.
These three theories can be explained with a simple example; a situation arises requiring a person to either tell the truth or to tell a lie. Individuals who follow the virtue theory will examine how telling a lie will affect their character. Maintaining honesty is generally considered more noble than lying, so the individual will most likely tell the truth. Individuals that adhere to the theory of utilitarianism will examine the consequences of telling the truth versus lying. If telling the truth causes more harm to the community than lying, it would be more ethical to lie. The theory of deontology ignores the consequences to the community or character and focuses just on the action of telling the truth. Most people are taught that telling al lie is the wrong thing to do, so an individual following deontology probably will tell the truth.
My own personal ethical viewpoint is that of utilitarianism. I prefer to examine the potential consequences of an action to determine to proper course to take. An example of this is my choice to go back to college. I decided that this was a proper action because of the benefits the college education can have on my career and in turn on my family. The negative consequences of an increased workload and added cost did not outweigh the potential benefits of an increased income and opportunities for promotions.
Each theory provides a method for identifying ethical actions. Actions can be considered ethical for different reasons depending on which theory is followed. An action may not always be ethical depending on a person’s viewpoint.
References
Boylan, M. (2009). Basic Ethics (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Ethical Theory Examination
An action can be considered ethical or unethical depending on the perspective. There are three main theories of ethics: virtue, utilitarianism, and deontology. Each theory uses different criteria to determine if an action is ethical. Although the idea of performing ethical actions is similar, each theory follows a different approach.
The virtue theory of ethics determines what is right and wrong based upon how it will affect one’s character. Essentially, an action will be considered ethical if it is a “noble” action (Boylan, 2009). This theory can best be described by relating it to medieval knights of fairytales. In these stories, knights would take the noble action to maintain the purity of their character. …show more content…
Utilitarianism ethics focus more on the consequences of an action to determine if it is ethical.
According to this theory, the best and ethical course of action to take is the solution that provides the best consequences for the group or community (Boylan, 2009). This theory places the needs of the group above the needs of the individual. If there is more than one solution to a problem, the most ethical solution would be the one that provides the greatest good for the community.
The theory of deontology bases its ethical code on the adherence to an established set of guidelines (Boylan, 2009). The right action is not decided based on consequences or how it will affect character, but rather on the principles of whether the action is right or wrong. There is no gray area in deontology. An action is evaluated on the action alone, not on why it was
performed.
These three theories can be explained with a simple example; a situation arises requiring a person to either tell the truth or to tell a lie. Individuals who follow the virtue theory will examine how telling a lie will affect their character. Maintaining honesty is generally considered more noble than lying, so the individual will most likely tell the truth. Individuals that adhere to the theory of utilitarianism will examine the consequences of telling the truth versus lying. If telling the truth causes more harm to the community than lying, it would be more ethical to lie. The theory of deontology ignores the consequences to the community or character and focuses just on the action of telling the truth. Most people are taught that telling al lie is the wrong thing to do, so an individual following deontology probably will tell the truth.
My own personal ethical viewpoint is that of utilitarianism. I prefer to examine the potential consequences of an action to determine to proper course to take. An example of this is my choice to go back to college. I decided that this was a proper action because of the benefits the college education can have on my career and in turn on my family. The negative consequences of an increased workload and added cost did not outweigh the potential benefits of an increased income and opportunities for promotions.
Each theory provides a method for identifying ethical actions. Actions can be considered ethical for different reasons depending on which theory is followed. An action may not always be ethical depending on a person’s viewpoint.
References
Boylan, M. (2009). Basic Ethics (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.