Ethical_Theories

# ET ## # Ethical Theories What are ethics' Ethics are a set of principles and practices that govern human conduct. To me, ethics are values that guide us in everyday choices and actions. They assist us in determining the course of our lives. There are many people in our society who do things that are ethically right to them based on their culture. There are others who do ethical things as an individual. Who is right or wrong' There are many theorists who believe that ethics is based on reason and not emotions or vice versa, some theorists who strictly go by the social contract theory, and others who believe whole hearted in virtue ethics. No theorist is wrong or right, but one thing that is correct for all of them as stated by Waller in Consider Ethics: Theory, Readings, and Contemporary Issues , is that “Regardless, all of them give arguments for their views, and those arguments must be critically examined” (waller, p. 1). In our reading we have examined four ethical theories. They are the rights theory, justice theory, utilitarianism, and profit maximization (mallor, et al p. 130). The rights theory focuses on the individual. The text offers the following description of the rights theory, “rights theory may protect a person’s right to clean drinking water regardless of its cost, …”(mallor, et al p. 134). The justice theory focuses on the idea that it is right for governments to redistribute wealth to help the poor and disadvantaged (mallor, et al 2009). It argues for “a just distribution of society’s resources by which a society’s benefits and burdens are allocated fairly among its members“ (mallor, et al p. 132). Utilitarianism needs the decision-maker to examine society as a whole and act in a way that benefits everyone in society (mallor, et al p. 133). The last of the four ethical theories we examined is profit maximization. It is an ethical theory that “requires a decision-maker to maximize a business’s long-run profits within the limits of the law“ (mallor, et al p. 134). These four theories all emphasize rules and consequences when making decisions, with the objective being achieving the greatest good possible. I found another theory that focuses on the same goal but emphasizes character instead of rules and consequences. It is the Virtue Theory and it was developed by Aristotle. Aristotle argued that whenever we do something we do it to gain an end result. The ultimate of all ends is the chief good or the final good. This final good is called eudaimonia or happiness. This supreme happiness that Aristotle talks about is one for the community not just an individual. Aristotle saw people as not only rational beings but also as social beings who live in groups. He saw the well being of the group as more important than that of a single member (unknown 2010). Aristotle believed a virtuous person is one who develops different virtues or character qualities that people generally admire. Aristotle distinguished between moral virtues such as courage and intellectual virtues such as knowledge. Aristotle also believed that moral virtues are connected to the desiderative and irrational part of the soul they can be cultivated through habit. These are connected to the rational half of the soul, which is cultivated through instruction (unknown 2010). Aristotle believed that all virtues lay at the mid-point between two vices. Although all of us could develop these virtues, only a few will do so and to cultivate them we must find the mean, we must try to ensure that we veer way from either the excess or deficiency and so hit the ‘mean’ this is the doctrine of the mean. Aristotle believed that virtuous behavior could become a habit, but we shouldn’t forget that we are behaving virtuously because it is right. By doing virtuous things we become virtuous (unknown 2010). Aristotle believed that every action is directed towards an aim, For example getting up in the morning to go to work. The aim is to earn a living so that you can live well. There are superior and subordinate aims. Getting up in the morning is secondary to earning a living which is superior. We do one thing to accomplish a greater thing. Ultimately everything is subordinate to the supreme good which is happiness. However people have different ideas of happiness and Aristotle acknowledged that the virtues of one city or culture may differ from those of another. He did not believe in an absolute platonic good beyond our world, he thought that good was found within this world (unknown 2010). Reference Waller, B. (2008). Consider Ethics: Theory, Readings, and Contemporary Issues - Second Edition. New York, New York: Pearson Longman. Mallor. Custom book for Ashford: BUS 670 Business Law. McGraw-Hill Primis Custom Publishing, 38503. Unknown (2010). Aristotle's Ethics. Retrieved September 19, 2010, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/