Comparative Ethical Theories

Comparative Ethical Theories

What exactly is ethics and how does it play out in our daily lives? Is it something that is at the forefront of our every thought or something we merely think of on occasions? In order to get a true understanding of ethics we must look past the surface and go deeper into the philosophy that is ethics.

Similarities and Differences

Since the dawn of time, people have been trying to find a way to classify what is ethical behavior. Even early philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were addressing that very same concept. Today, we have three basic theories of ethics, virtue, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics, each with similarities as well as differences between them. In order to compare them we must first understand what each theory is.

“Virtue ethics takes its philosophical root in the work of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Virtue theories claim that ethics is about agents, not actions or consequences. Living an ethical, or good life, then, consists in the possession of the right character traits (virtues) and having, as a result, the appropriate moral character” (Seven Pillars Institue, 2015). This approach to ethics is more on an individual basis and developing good habits, whereas utilitarianism stresses the importance of acting for the greater good of society. “Utilitarianism states that actions are morally right if and only if they maximize the good (or, alternatively, minimizes the bad). Thus, actions are morally right, on this view, if and only if they maximize pleasure or well-being or minimize suffering” (Seven Pillars Institue, 2015).

Immanuel Kant formulated what is possible the best know and widely accepted theory known as deontological ethics, which comes from the philosophy of “doing the right thing, because it’s the right thing to do” (Manias, Monroe, & Till, 2013).