First of all I would like to mention, that Virtue, Deontological, and Utilitarian theories are the tools to justify people, groups or institutions’ behavior. What is wrong and what is right we identify regarding the personal point of view. Therefore, everybody assesses the same situation, action or result according to own moral and ethical background. Each of the theories mentioned above have distinct advantages and disadvantages and lead to different results of human action. Thus, the desired outcome is the key criteria to decide which theory suits most of the exact situation. Finally, the decision to use the exact principle of ethics will depend on the personal character and moral values. The self-improvement and development is main focus for Virtue ethics theory. …show more content…
The level of ethics is evaluated concerning the ability to obey the rules professionally. Unlike the Utilitarian theory requires, the understanding of the big picture and achievement of exact end state is not important. The key point is just to act as ordered without concerns about outcomes. Such kind of thinking is not the best choice for Army leader because the leaders must seek the tangible results. Utilitarian ethics theory differs from Virtue and Deontological ethics as well. The results of the action are main focus for the supporters of Utilitarian ethics. The desired outcome is the key factor and all the measures to achieve the aim can be justified. The sacrifice is acceptable too. In this case, the main dilemma is to find the right balance between the fulfillment of the mission and moral beliefs. The Army leaders must understand higher commander’s intent and mission in order to implement Utilitarian ethics concept in the mission. In conclusion, the theories mentioned above are incompatible to each other. The detailed assessment desired outcome must be conducted before the implementation of one these
Sometimes in life there are instances in which and individual must make a decision that will question their moral fiber. These instances could vary from whether or not to help others in need, decide whether an action is right or wrong or even when deciding who should live and who must die. How does one logically reason to an ethnical conclusion to these situations?
LM01, Ethical Leadership. (2012). Maxwell Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC)
Professional Military Education schools teach the Army Ethic and evaluation reports for leaders affirm this ethic. The Army punishes individuals, especially leaders, who violate this code. The Army administratively punishes Soldiers who do not adhere to this code, and the severity of punishment increases with rank. One recent and highly visible example of this is former General Petraeus’s adultery and the subsequent professional sanctions he experienced. The Army grows its own ethical code and maintains it through the American people.
The circumstance of immoral orders is understandable, but a soldier should still meet his or her given instructions. The keys to a soldier's system are the policy letters and army regulations that dictate every given bit of information on the army and its moral history. Within each article and sub-article, the information is pertinent to the success of a soldier and shares the history as well. This can provide lessons to those who instruct other soldiers.
What is ethics? Ethics are the philosophical principles of good verses bad moral behavior. It is a guideline to help people make decisions or make a judgment calls. There are two main types of ethical principles that will be discussed in this paper, and how they are applied to the decision making process. They are Deontological and Utilitarian. Deontological ethics are based on the righteousness or wrongness of the action-taking place. It does not base itself on the bad or good consequences that come from the action. Immanuel Kant introduced deontological ethics in the 18th century. Kant believed that every decision or action made by a person had to be evaluated by his or her moral duty. He stated that humanity shouldn’t side on its
Abigail Williams is a girl in the town of Salem. She lives with her uncle, Reverend Parris. Abigail used to work in the house of John and Elizabeth Proctor as their maid. It has been suggested that she is fond of Ms. Proctor. It has also been claimed that Proctor steered away from his faith towards his wife, Abigail.
Ethics in business is a highly important concept, as it can affect a company’s profits, salaries paid to employees and CEOs, and public opinion, among many other aspects of a business. Ethics can be enforced by company policies and guidelines, set a precedent when a company is faced with an important decision, and are also evolving thanks to new technology and situations that arise due to technology usage. Businesses have a duty to maintain their ethical responsibilities and also to help their employees enforce these responsibilities in and out of the workplace. However, ethics and the foundation for them are not always black and white. There are many different ethical theories, however Utilitarianism, Kant’s Deontological ethics, and Virtue ethics are three of the most well known theories in existence. Each theory is distinct in that it has a different quality used to determine ethicality and allows for a person to choose which system of ethics works best with both the situation and his or her personal ethical preferences.
Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (U.S.) United States. Department of the Air Force. (2012b). Ethical Leadership (LM01). Maxwell-Gunter Annex, AL: Department of the Air Force.
Philosophy has been a field of study for centuries. Some philosophers have developed ways to determine what is ethical and what is not. This has led to several normative ethical theories describing how people are ought to live a moral life. Some of the most prominent of these theories have set the criteria for morality in very unique and peculiar ways. Two of which are the ethical egoistic theory and the utilitarian theory, each seeing morality in its own distinctive way. By comparing and contrasting the view these theories pose on morality and by analyze how each stands in some of the world’s most modern day issues, one can understand why utilitarianism is a
1. Utilitarianism was described by J. Bentham as the greatest happiness of the greatest number. Utilitarianism is a holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes the amount of happiness. It is therefore a form of consequentialism, which means that the moral value of an action is determined only by its outcome, so one can only weigh the morality of an action after thinking about all its potential consequences. Utilitarianism focuses more on the happiness of the greatest number whereas Aristotle focuses more on the happiness of the individual person Virtue ethics developed by Aristotle which is a moral theory that focuses on the development of virtuous character. In virtue ethics, character is the key to the moral life, for it is from a virtuous character that moral conduct and values naturally arise. Aristotle believes that the highest goal of humanity is the good life or Eudaimonia which means happiness and human flourishing. Developing virtues is the way to achieve a rich and satisfying life. According to him, virtues make
Ethics plays a very important role in one social system and basically on how the people will make their actions or decide on a particular thing on whether it is the right or the wrong thing. Ethical consideration is very important. It helps a person or a group of person understands whether the actions are right or wrong. Ethics is a very critical factor most especially when considering where the ethical standards are to applied. Aside from it, weighing results of actions or decision is also another major concern because of the fact that a person has critically analyze whose side is needed to satisfied. There are instances that moral obligations are also considered, in which moral is defined as a universal accepted personal human behavior that allows a person to decide whether an action or decision is good or bad.
We have our own moral codes but our decisions are solely based on the impact of our perspective on the people’s welfare and happiness. Although it is in our perspective as utilitarian to decide what actions to make, the theory of utilitarianism has strengths and weaknesses.
The Utilitarian Approach: the ethical decision should provides the greatest good for the greatest number;
The field of ethics (or moral philosophy) involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior (Fieser, 2009). Many of the decisions one faces in a typical day could result in a multitude of outcomes. At times it can be hard to determine whether or not the decision you are making is an ethical one. Many philosophies have been devised to illustrate the different ways of evaluating moral decisions. Normative ethics focuses on assessing right and wrong behavior. This may involve reinforcing positive habits, duties we should follow, or the consequences of our behavior (Fieser, 2009). Of the many normative philosophies two stand out to be most accepted; teleology and deontology. Although they oppose each other in how actions are evaluated, they uphold many similar characteristics under the surface.
When the theory is compared with the deontological or consequential theories, it is evident that the aim of virtue ethics is not to primarily make identification of universal principles that can only be applied in certain moral situations. On the other hand virtue ethics theories mostly deal with wider questions like, which is the best way to live?" or even "What is the meaning of good life?" and others like "What are some of the regularly considered proper family or social