Ethical Theory Reading

Page 1

Virtue Theory

to understand and live a life of moral character

This virtue is acquired through practice of being honest, brave, just, generous, honorable and moral

Three goals are:

1. develop and defend the concept of the ideal person

2. develop and defend list of virtue necessary of being a person of a specific type

3. defend a view of how people can possess these virtues

Page 2

Deontology

The right action must be done, regardless of the consequence that comes along

you must follow the rules and you are wrong if you do not

example: The rule is that you must never kill. If you do kill this one person, yo will be saving 1000 people. A deontologist would still not kill that one person because they would be breaking the rule.

2 Types of Deontology:

1. Rule: people have to perform actions that can be specified by a rule

2. Act: actions must be done to follow rules

the state of character most important for deontology is conscientiousness, which sets us up to follow the rules regardless of the temptations to make an exception

examples: 10 commandments, Kant's categorical imperative, stoics' natural law

Page 3

Consequentialism/ Utilitarianism

The consequences are what justifies the action

one should act so that the most people will be helped with the greatest positive outcome

3 goals:

1. specify and defend some thing or list of things that are good in themselves

2. provide techniques to measure and compare quantities of these intrinsic goods

3. defend policy for those cases where one cannot determine which of a number of alternative actions will maximize the good

2 types:

1. Act consequentialism: perform that action that maximizes the good consequence

2. rule consequentialism: follow the rule that has max good consequence