The weakness of Virtue Ethics outweighs its strengths – Discuss. Virtue ethics is the ethics of us as persons and argues that morality is not about duties. There are a number of arguments for and against virtue ethics, and most for, argue for the formation and growth of us via phronesis or practical wisdom, which allows us to make the right decisions by using our conscience. Virtue ethics is mainly supported by Aristotle. It is based on different virtues that a person should have, so that they can then reach Euadamonia.
A conclusion can be derived from the reading on whether Ethical Egoism is truly a moral theory. Within the reading, along with Ethical Egoism, Psychological Egoism is discussed. Psychological Egoism differs from Ethical Egoism in that it asserts that each person does in fact pursue their own self-interest alone. To support the theory of Psychological Egoism it is stated that altruistic acts of kindness are performed only to produce good feelings about oneself. Another supporting argument of Ethical Egoism is that we always do what we most want to do.
It is said that virtue ethics measures a person by his or her character and moral standing within a community in determination of his or her good. With utilitarianism, a person is a good and moral person when his actions benefit the needs of the community over personal needs. Another words, you serve everyone else around you before you even think of helping yourself. Being unselfish is being utilitarianism. The same thing can be said about deontology, a person is good and moral when his choice of action within a community is inherently moral and good or they do the right thing.
Utilitarianism is a theory in normative ethics holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes utility, usually defined as maximizing happiness and reducing suffering. Classic utilitarianism's two most influential contributors are Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. John Stuart Mill in his book Utilitarianism, stated, "In the golden rule of Jesus of Nazareth, we read the complete spirit of the ethics of utility. To do as one would be done by, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, constitute the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality." According to Bentham and Mill, Utilitarianism is hedonistic only when the result of an action has no decidedly negative impact on others.
My answer: In an attempt to describe why whistleblowers face tremendous obstacles despite acting to what they believed was right, I will try to explain by using some of the Normative Theories of Ethics, for example: a. The Egoist (Egoism Theory) may view the acts of the whistleblower as personal interest because the egoist thinks an action is morally right if the action promotes the individual’s long term interests. b. In Virtue Ethics Theory, a person may view the acts of the whistleblower as an act of integrity or courage or leadership because this theory considers the action as morally correct especially if the act involves the virtue of honesty, wisdom, courage, loyalty etc. c. In Utilitarianism Theory, where the focus is on the outcome of action that gives the greatest benefit (or least harm) for everyone is the ethical action, it would most probably consider the acts of the whistleblower as ethically upright because the actions gives the greatest benefit to the public and the society as a whole.
The other two of the ethical lenses are using your Sensibility (Intuition) which means using your intuition and emotions for our behavior to be ethical are : 1)Results Lens:using your sensibility to decide your decisions which will make you happy and adds more happiness to your life. 2)Reputation Lens:is to rely on your sensibility to agree upon the character traits which are needed for good living . And these four primary ethical lenses also catogorized into 2 types. 1-Ethical Lenses for Individual decision a)Rights and Responsibilities lens b)Results lens 2-Ethical lenses for Community determining a)Relationship lens b)Reputation lens My preferred lens is : Rights and Responsibility lens Relationship lens I use my critical thinking(Rational) skill to determine general rules and equality of community so that everybody gets treated fairly equal. I follow the universal rules and apply equally to everybody in the community.I look through the problem carefully and research different options
In 1963 British Philosopher John Stuart Mill’s work on the principle of utility; defends the utilitarian standard of the best outcome for everyone “good of all”. Mill’s holds that “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Mill, 1863, p. 1). Therefore, in order to promote happiness, people actions should have positive impact on those around them. My argument is that this is a universal moral truth. As Sommers points out utilitarianism is not an individuals own greatest happiness within their culture or society but the best outcome for everyone.
This indicates that utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism as what is viewed to a morally correct action is based upon the actions outcome. Therefore, utilitarianism commands that when one is faced with a choice of morality, one should consider the moral rightness of an act by means of the consequences that should occur due to the performance of this act and also the happiness which arise due to the execution of the act. The theory of utilitarianism thus places paramount importance on happiness. Utilitarianism subsequently branches off into two forms: Act consequentialism, which claims that “an act is morally right if and only it maximizes the good” and hedonism “that pleasure is the only intrinsic good and that pain is the only intrinsic bad.” In this essay I shall outline and explain the theories of act and rule utilitarianism. I will also discuss and examine these theories in light of the case study about the programme
Ethical Egoism We will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of ethical egoism, but before we begin we first must understand what ethical egoism is and what is involved. Ethical egoism is the normative ethical position that moral agents ought to do what is in their own self-interest. It differs from psychological egoism, which claims that people can only act in their self-interest. Ethical egoism also differs from rational egoism, which holds that it is rational to act in one's self-interest. Ethical egoism contrasts with ethical altruism, which holds that moral agents have an obligation to help others.
Good personal ethics are very important for me to have because it allows me to deal fairly with people in any situation and in any aspect of life. I believe good personal ethics are very important for everyone to have although some may not think so. My Ethical Lens Inventory results allow me to identify what my individual values are and what my challenges and strengths are. The inventory allows me to see ethical issues clearly and being aware of my priorities and values helps me to understand how I deal with ethical issues that may arise in daily life. My personal preferred lens is the Equality/Rationality in the Relationship lens.