The answer to this question will vary. Some people are moral realists and hold that moral facts are objective facts that are out there in the world, these people believe that things are good or bad independently of us. Moral values such as goodness and badness are real properties of people in the same way that rough and smooth are properties of physical objects. This view is often referred to as cognitive language. Those who oppose cognitivists are called non cognitivists and they believe that when someone makes a moral statement they are not describing the world, but they are merely expressing their feelings and opinions, they believe that moral statements are not objective therefore they cannot be verified as true or false.
With utilitarianism a person makes a decision based on the best results, and what is best for the most amounts of people. With deontology a person makes a decision depending on what he or she thinks is morally correct, not necessarily based on the best results for the people, but more for the well being of that person. The similarities between the three theories all deal with results. These theories all work toward the best result depending on what someone believes the best result may be. Many people will take different sides when it comes to a decision that benefits either the present or future, whether a person’s decision is the best for the moment or best for the future is what differentiates these theories.
Consequential is a type of ethical theory; it’s built upon moral views of acts, rules, etc. purely due to the consideration of their consequences, where the norm of consideration is worked as the norm of non-moral goodness. Happiness is a part of acquiring what could be an unsatisfying truth that we do not have a solid handle of our control or impact in our world; giving into the greatest good, as well as, ignoring what can bring negativity. It is important to make the best out of life as possible that represent positive and negative, and take the rest as life wants to give it. The theory of “good” and bad is really not a matter of concern; we have our own particular views, so what can be bad may actually be good.
I believe that if there is a God and He is great and loves us, then He would want us to think of others and volunteer and those type of things more than worshipping how amazing He is. That sounds very selfish to me. So this is why you should do what you think is right and not because someone tells you its right. Because if someone tells you something is right, they can still be wrong. No one can decide what is right or wrong except yourself.
Perhaps more so than Emotivists, Prescriptivists see ethical language as fairly meaningful. They believe that the terms used are able to create absolute rules that everyone ought to follow. It would seem that ethical language is seen by many as very meaningful, although for varying reasons. However agent centred theories such as Virtue Ethics would argue that our main focus of morality should be on becoming as virtuous as possible, rather than deciding what is meant by ethical language. Therefore it would seem that perhaps morality should be more focussed on individuals’ actions rather then defining what is meant by ‘good’ and
Instrumentally rational action is when a goal is not desirable but an induvidual still works out the best way to reach it. Value rational action is when an individual works towards a goal although doesn't know what the outcome will be. Traditional action is a routine action which is done out of habit whilst affectual action is action which is expressed by emotion. Although Weber takes into account the individual choice and focuses on understanding (meanings) when explaining a persons behaviour the four catergories are hard to apply to real situations. Also as we are our own selves and cannot put ourselves in the shoes of someone else we can never really fully understand someone's actions.
This implies that an act is right if it minimizes violation of a certain moral right thus no one should violate moral rights for happiness sake and be justified. But consequentialism assumes that an act can only be right if its absolute outcome is the best. This implies that an act is only right if the outcome minimizes pain and maximizes happiness. Consequentialists and Utilitarianism consider distribution differently. Utilitarians believe that fairness is a better approach but consequentialists assume that the overall amount of good matters even if only a
A determination is not made on individuals. A determination is made on groups of people. Comparing the current situation to other similar situations will be reviewed to help make a decision. There are two types of utilitarianism, act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Using the act utilitarianism theory a person’s decision is based on what is the most beneficial for the majority regardless of personal feelings.
Health Care Ethics: Personal Ethics Reflection In this personal reflection paper I am going to analyze the ethical theories and principles that are most consistent with my own views and assist me in my own ethical decisions. The two that are most reflective of my decision process are the deontological ethics and the virtue ethics. This paper will go on to discuss the two theories of Communitarian and Utilitarianism and explain why they are the least consistent with my own perspectives. There will also be discussion about why I feel the ethical principle of respect for persons is most important to me and how I would handle a situation when this respect is threatened by paternalism. My Personal Ethical Theories Immanuel Kant argued that moral requirements are based on a standard of rationality (Johnson, 2012).
A person inherently has some sort of primitive worldview and code of personal ethics. Understanding, and in some cases coming to grips with, your worldview is important to understanding who you are and what you stand for in life. By knowing what makes you tick and why you act in certain ways is the first step on the journey to personal enlightenment and to creating a more secure sense of self and personal wellbeing. The following pages will establish the basis for my ethical worldview and discuss the development of my own ethical theory. Overview of Relevant Ethical Theories Virtue Ethics Virtue ethics was founded as it is known today by Plato and Aristotle, though