The classical theories of morality are Aristotle’s perspective called Nicomachean Ethics‚ the Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant‚ and the Theory of Utilitarianism morality by John Stuart Mill. These classical theories create the basis of morality and moral argument. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory regarding the greater good. It rationalizes; the actions a person makes in their life and says they should be directed towards achieving the greatest happiness for
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The deliberate act of ending another ’s life‚ given his or her consent‚ is formally referred to as euthanasia. At present‚ euthanasia is one of the most controversial social-ethical issues that we face‚ in that it deals with a sensitive subject matter where there is much uncertainty as to what position one ought to take. Deliberately killing another person is presumed by most rational people as a fundamental evil act. However‚ when that person gives his or her consent to do so‚ this seems to give
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of morality such as John Stuart Mill’s theory of Utilitarianism. In teleological approaches to morality‚ questions of right and wrong‚ or the notion what an individual ought to do‚ are determined by the consequences of a given action. One thinker to reject this idea of consequentialism was Immanuel Kant. In his Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals‚ Kant endeavors to establish a system of ethics that has no trace of the empirical nature of utilitarianism. To him‚ “the moral worth of an action
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Utilitarianism and deontology are two moral theories that can often pull us in different direction. Utilitarianism is the ethical doctrine that virtue is based on utility‚ and that conduct should be directed toward promoting the greatest happiness of the greatest number of persons. This can be viewed as a contingent right. Contingent means something that could happen or come up depending on other occurrences. An example of a contingent right is the unexpected need for a bandage on a hike. The bandage
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One of the major players in ethical theories has long been the concept of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism states that in general the ethical rightness or wrongness of an action is directly related to the utility of that action. Utility is more specifically defined as a measure of the goodness or badness of the consequences of an action. Utility is considered to be the tendency to produce happiness. There are two types of Utilitarianism; "act" and "rule". An act utilitarian uses thought processes
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THE DIVINE COMMAND THEORY Introduction Divine Command Theory is an ethical theory which claims that God’s will is the foundation of ethics. Based on Divine Command Theory‚ things are morally right or wrong‚ compulsory‚ allowed or disallowed if God or deities commands it. In Divine Command Theory‚ what makes an act moral or immoral is that God commands or prohibited it. Apart from being commanded by God to do certain thing‚ some other aspect of Divine Command Theory‚ also hold that an action is moral
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Utilitarianism is a moral theory that was originally created by Jeremy Bentham that he hoped would help people make difficult moral decisions. There are three main types of utilitarianism: Act‚ Rule and Preference. The different forms of utilitarianism all have different ways of helping people make decisions. Jeremy Bentham was the creator of Act utilitarianism and believes that people should aim to create the largest amount of pleasure possible for the greatest number of people through their moral
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summary‚ is utilitarianism as presented by Mill (sometimes called classical utilitarianism). It is the ethical philosophy that bases right and wrong on the production of happiness. It is also an ethical philosophy that stresses the greatest happiness of the greatest number as seen from an impartial bystander’s perspective. Before we discuss how Mozi’s philosophy can be applied to utilitarian morality‚ a distinction within utilitarianism must be made. Act Utilitarianism vs. Rule Utilitarianism Generally
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Act Utilitarianism is the treatment of each type of moral situation as a unique situation‚ therefore bring the maximum amount of happiness to everyone that is affected by the act. The agent in these types of situations must determine what is the right things that should be done for this exact situation in present time. The agent must not be bogged down by past experiences‚ as that will affect the judgment of what to do in this particular situation. While this type of utilitarianism is good in a variety
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The theories of Utilitarianism and Ethical egoism differ in many ways‚ however‚ they are both similar in the aspect of making choices and having the best outcome for those choices. Ethical egoism claims that an action must be morally right and completely maximize ones own self-interest or interests. The “opposing theory” Utilitarianism‚ states that an action must be one that produces the most good overall or to all those affected. Utilitarianism and Ethical egoism are forms of consequentialism in
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