Eth 316: Ethics And The Human Decision Making Process

404 Words2 Pages
Ethics Essay Wesley Hurt ETH/316 10/23/2013 Sherry Johnson Metz Ethics & Theory Ethics can be defined as the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, or class of people. Ethics also deals with the moral principles of an individual. Virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics are the three main categories of theory dealing with ethics and the human decision making process. According to Boylan, “Virtue ethics is also sometimes called agent-based or character ethics. It takes the viewpoint that in living your life you should try to cultivate excellence in all that you do and all that others do.” (2009) Virtue ethics is driven by what is called absolute good. Absolute good is characterized…show more content…
The decision I made to perfect my math skills is a form of absolute good and helped me to get myself prepared for the Georgia high school graduation test. The second theory of ethics is called utilitarianism. The theory of utilitarianism involves making decisions based on the greater good of the team or group. An example of utilitarianism theory can be observed when I receive a paycheck from my workplace that is just enough to pay bills, and instead of spending it all on things “I” want; I use it to pay rent to keep my two kids, wife, and dog living in a productive stress free environment. Deontology theory is the third theory that pertains to ethics. According to Boylan, “Deontology is a moral theory that emphasizes one’s duty to do a particular action just because the action, itself, is inherently right and not through any other sorts of calculations—such as the consequences of the action.”(2009) Furthermore, the utilitarianism theory unlike the deontology theory states that an action produced by the decision making process should be based on “principle”-meaning the
Open Document