Compare And Contrast Ethics And Social Contract Theory

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Ethics refers to a person 's moral values, to their beliefs about what is right and what is wrong. The word ethics also refers to the study of moral beliefs. Descriptive ethics refers to the study of moral beliefs that people have and why they have them. Normative ethics is the study of the moral beliefs that people should have. Even though ethics is taught, not everyone acts or is expected to behave accordingly. This paper is to enlighten you guys with two ethical theories, which are, Social Contract Theory and Ethical Egoism. These theories provide a framework for moral decision-making within the current law, intended to be suitable to all members of some society.
The Social Contract Theory was developed by Thomas Hobbes in the 17th century, making ethics all about participating in a “Social Contract”. The concept of the Social Contract Theory is that in the beginning man lived in the state of nature. There was no government and no laws to abide by. Hardships and oppressions were prominent within the society. To overcome their hardships they entered into an agreement whereby people sought protection of their lives and property. There was now …show more content…

Ethical Egoism, allows each person to view his or her own life as being of ultimate value, taking the human individual seriously. This in return perceives Egoistic people as taking advantage of opportunities for gain and deemed unethical. This is where the transition comes into; to advance and become enlightened egoist. Enlightened egoist take into consideration the long term benefit while abiding by professional codes of ethics but never failing to make the gain for their sole

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