Kantian Deontology, Utilitarianism, And Virtue Ethics

· A personal experience to explain the relationship between virtue, values, and moral concepts as they relate to one of the three theories

Utilitarianism is another theory in which its main objective is to explain the nature of ethics and morality. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory which is based upon utility, or doing that which produces the greatest happiness. According to a utilitarian the morality of act is found just if the consequence produces the greatest overall utility for everyone. However, if the greatest possible utility is not produced, the action is then morally wrong. This view says that a person should act as to produce the greatest overall happiness and pleasure for everyone who may be directly or indirectly affected by the action. Therefore, a utilitarian would require that for every action the corresponding consequences for every action should be thoroughly weighed and alternatives proposed before deciding whether or not to perform such an action.

There is an ethical epidemic that is plaguing this world and it is called Human Trafficking. Human trafficking is a serious crime that violates common human rights by trading humans and forcing them to complete acts of coerced labor, or sex slavery. It is the 2nd largest criminal operation in the world next to the drug cartel and it is done to make money off these innocent lives (Ottisova, 2016). The illegal trade and exploitation of human beings for forced labor, prostitution and reproductive favors is unethical and unacceptable by our society because many United States organizations are starting to work together to stop these intolerable acts to end the suffering and pain.

The theories of virtue, utilitarianism, and deontology are similar in some aspects but for the most part are very different. Each of the theories will be explained to show their differences and the type of person that would gravitate towards that theory. Through the explanations one would also be able to consider where there morals or ethics may lie but can also see themselves in each theory.

The first ethical theory is Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that describes how the moral value or worth of an action is determined by how much benefit is gained from that action. It is measured by not only the amount of benefit gained but also

Both religions follow the “Golden Rule” and enlighten their followers on the benefits of it in achieving salvation. Utilitarianism also focuses its teachings on decision’s outcome as suppose to a code of laws which gives individual ethical grounds for making decisions that reduces suffering, similar to virtue teachings. A good example is when people compliment another person about their looks despite the negative outlook in their mind.

We have learned about different kinds of theories, consequentialist and non-consequentialist we are going to see if these theories are accountable for its principles in terms of the standard ethical principles such as truth telling, generosity, misconduct, keeping promises, not offending people, etc. To me not all these theories are not 100% perfect and does not fully account for its principles.

The three major schools of ethics consists of: consequentialism, natural law, and virtue ethics. Consequentialism means that the judge of if something is right or wrong is based on the consequences of the action. Utilitarianism is apart of this theme, which means one should act to produce the best good thing for the most people. Natural Law means through logical thinking on nature, discover actions that are good and bad that will help us move forward in human fulfillment and growing. This means that human beings can make a reality of their potential Virtue Ethics consists of two different approaches to ethics.

Ethics refers to what people consider good or bad and right or wrong. It is a theory dealing with values that relate to human behaviour; with respect to their actions and purpose. The two most important philosophers that deal with ethics are Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. Kant’s ethical theory is Kantianism or deontological ethics. Mill’s ethical theory is utilitarianism. Both philosophers’ theories have many differences; Kant’s theory deals with conduct, seeking reason for good action in duty. Mill’s theory deals with consequences and maximizing human happiness. However both Kant and Mill’s ethics relate to the important biblical principal of the Golden Rule.

Ethics are moral principles that can be used to help guide peoples decisions. We are all different and therefore our beliefs and opinions differ. There are many ethical theories, and according to Panza and Potthast (n.d.) the following are some that are widely used. Virtue ethics is one theory which states that personality is the most important thing. Living an ethical life, acting right, requires that one develops and demonstrates the quality of courage, compassion, wisdom, and temperance. It also requires that greed, jealousy, and selfishness is avoided. Utilitarianism states that the amount of happiness and suffering created by a person’s actions is what matters the most. As a result, acting rightly includes maximizing the amount of

There are some common use ethical theories; deontology, utilitarian, and virtue ethics. Deontology refers to the important aspects of man lives are control by indestructible moral values and ethical standards regardless if by overruling it improve outcome. In other words, they may do the right thing, even though the consequences of that action may not be good. Utilitarian

Virtue ethics is in my opinion the lesser of the three, because it gives no clarity in how it can resolve a dilemma. Deontology and consequentialism on the other hand do. Although deontology cannot give answer to a dilemma as the trolley problem, I will still argue that deontology is the most reasonable. In consequentialism it is a possibility to rationalize an unethical decision, which in my opinion is not a good thing. As explained, consequentialism has a need for an ideal observer, who can take ethical decision from an unbiased point of view. This also means that such a person will look at the whole of humanity and not to the individual. In deontology every individual has the same rights and is worthy of protection. Motivations are valued over consequences, which are beyond our control. Furthermore, deontology can provide guidelines for making moral decisions, without the need for a prediction of consequences, and possible outcomes. Concluding that although consequentialism can provide answer to certain questions. Deontology sees every person as an equal individual, and provides a clear set of objective guidelines. In my opinion, equal rights and such a set of guidelines are more reasonable than predicting

The ethical theory that better explains ethical actions is Mill’s Utilitarianism over Kant’s deontological ethics. I choose to be a Utilitarian because it better fits the person of who I am today. I believe that Mill exemplifies a more reasonable and logically way of reasoning rather than Kant. I am going to defend Utilitarianism through this story of a problem that most likely happens to doctors around the world. Let’s say I am doctor with 4 doses of some very scarce medicine where I am in an emergency situation where I am left with 5 patients. Which all of whom would need the drug to survive. In this case, let’s say one of the patients would need 4 doses to survive. But all the other patients would only need a single dose to survive. I could also assume I know nothing else about these patients. Utilitarianism would tell us to divide up the drug and let the patient that needed all 4 doses to survive just die. Why do you ask? Because saving the 4 lives preserves much more happiness and prevents more suffering than

Kantian ethics emphasizes on two conditions for an action to be morally good. The first, that an action only has moral worth if it is done for the sake of duty. The second is that an action is considered right if its maxim can be willed as a universal law. Kantian ethics then is working on the basis of duty and universality. In failing to recognize the multiple aspects of morality, Kantian ethics shows inadequacy as a moral theory. (Hinman, 2008)

These theories are used to evaluate ethical dilemmas that we face on our day to day life,