Who Do You Consider Most Plausible? Why?
Health Professions and Society 1A SAQs
SAQs 1
1. Which ethical theory discussed in Chapter 2 of Ian Kerridge, Michael Lowe, Cameron Stewart. Ethics and Law for the Health Professions, 4th Edition, 2013: Federation Press. do you consider most plausible? Why?
It can be argued that the most plausible theory is that of consequentialism, which defines the righteousness of an action via its consequences. Through evaluating all the possible actions that can be undertaken in a given situation and their corresponding outcomes, consequentialists aim to choose those that equally cater to the interests of all the involved parties. The actions performed, therefore, favour the common good and ensures that no singular individual is disadvantaged or targeted. Furthermore, it rids of the selfishness that can often be associated …show more content…
While consequentialist actions may be undertaken with moral intentions, the anticipated outcomes are not guaranteed. What is described to be calculated consequences in consequentialism, is in actuality, a mere guess of what may follow, and that guess may not always be correct. It is impossible to foresee every likely effect of an outcome or its associated collateral damages, so consequentialists must make assumptions; possibly based on prior experience. However, every situation is independent from one another, and what may have resulted or worked in one instance, will not necessarily reoccur or produce the same reactions. Furthermore, much like a chain reaction, one consequence will lead to another, and then another, and so on. With this, there is no point in time where a consequentialist can confidently stop analysing the outcomes of their actions and promise a universally pleasing consequence. They are simply endless, and if they were to stop, the theory would become compromised and
SAQs 1
1. Which ethical theory discussed in Chapter 2 of Ian Kerridge, Michael Lowe, Cameron Stewart. Ethics and Law for the Health Professions, 4th Edition, 2013: Federation Press. do you consider most plausible? Why?
It can be argued that the most plausible theory is that of consequentialism, which defines the righteousness of an action via its consequences. Through evaluating all the possible actions that can be undertaken in a given situation and their corresponding outcomes, consequentialists aim to choose those that equally cater to the interests of all the involved parties. The actions performed, therefore, favour the common good and ensures that no singular individual is disadvantaged or targeted. Furthermore, it rids of the selfishness that can often be associated …show more content…
While consequentialist actions may be undertaken with moral intentions, the anticipated outcomes are not guaranteed. What is described to be calculated consequences in consequentialism, is in actuality, a mere guess of what may follow, and that guess may not always be correct. It is impossible to foresee every likely effect of an outcome or its associated collateral damages, so consequentialists must make assumptions; possibly based on prior experience. However, every situation is independent from one another, and what may have resulted or worked in one instance, will not necessarily reoccur or produce the same reactions. Furthermore, much like a chain reaction, one consequence will lead to another, and then another, and so on. With this, there is no point in time where a consequentialist can confidently stop analysing the outcomes of their actions and promise a universally pleasing consequence. They are simply endless, and if they were to stop, the theory would become compromised and