Ethical theories represent different approaches that people ought to follow in making ethical judgments. The major moral theories are the utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and the Care ethics amongst others. Altruism posits one way of defining right and wrong and controlling human conduct, while moral cognitivism proposes another way. The theory of utilitarianism, by Brent and Mill for instance, is a consequentialist view of duty, which favors the outcomes of the deed. This being the case, the utmost optimum for which its members should strive is the happiness and the reduction of suffering in the largest population possible (Scarre, 2020). The other theory, deontology, which has been propounded by Immanuel Kant, pinpoints duty and …show more content…
Gather Relevant Information: To avoid confusing the reader, one needs to comprehend the setting in which Dr. Breen worked, the challenges facing the healthcare workers amid the pandemic, and the options for getting help. Evaluate Alternatives Utilitarian Perspective: There should be mental health services so that doctors and other healthcare providers can cater for the needs of their patients without endangering their own lives (Romine, 2020). Deontological Perspective: New guidelines and policies have to be adopted so that committed healthcare workers and their psychological state are …show more content…
Care Ethics: Extend their relational approach to encourage mental health and respond to the needs of HCWs, ensuring that they are appreciated and their concerns are met (Romine, 2020). 5. Make a Decision: Promote the establishment of strong mental health services and policies in healthcare organizations that include steps for encouraging and preparing staff and patients to seek help. Reflect on the Outcome: Stick to these programs and policies and always monitor the results with professionals in the healthcare field so as to make modifications when the need arises (Romine, 2020). Therefore, to balance the utilitarian and Kantian moral theories, this paper shows that ethical perspectives give useful information about the moral expectations and roles of human beings and society. Dr. Breen’s case applies the proposition as a necessity to balance the general welfare of the care givers with the indispensable mandate to attend to the patients (Romine, 2020). Thus, with the help of ethical decision-making models, society can establish and adopt certain rules to protect the saints who exist in the world only for the sake of helping
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
The four major ethical principles in health care are: Autonomy – to honor the patient’s right to make their own decision (the opposite is paternalism - the health care provider knows best for the patient), Beneficence – to help the patient advance his/her own good, Nonmaleficence – to do no harm (many bioethical controversies involves this principle), and Justice – to be fair and treat like cases alike. All 4 principles are considered to be in effect at all times. In theory, each is of equal weight or importance. Ethical responsibilities in a given situation depend in part on the nature of the decision and in part on the roles everyone involved play.
When dealing with an ethical dilemma, social workers usually reference back to Reamers 7-step process to help with ethical decision-making. In the given case study, we meet Lori a bright fourteen-year-old who is smart, involved in school activities, and sports. She has had a non-normative impacted life since she was young, such as her mother dying of breast cancer and father dying as well. She has no immediate family and was lucky enough to be placed in a foster home with a family who loves her and wants the best for her.
In Intro to Ethics, we have discussed each moral theory in the context of how the theories dealt with the theory of right conduct and with the deontic status the action had. When we looked at how each theory we talked about dealt with deontic status, we looked at how the actions were right or wrong. The main theories we looked at this semester that dealt with right conduct were utilitarianism, Kant’s moral theory, and virtue ethics. Although each of these moral theories has its own flaws, I believe that Kant’s moral theory is the strongest and most superior out of all the moral theories.
Deontological theory is a “theory of duty” (book). This theory focuses on what is right. It focuses on the duties that we have for ourselves and for one another. Jermey Bentham, a utilitarian philosopher, was the inventor of deontological. He believed that this theory was guided in the same direction as the principle of utility. However, today deontological theories shows contrast with utilitarianism. Immanuel Kant, who is regarded as the greatest modern philosopher, saw deontology as something that contradicts utilitarianism. The utilitarian theories focus on consequences over what is right. They focus on the quality and quantity of happiness that an action brings. Kant emphasizes that we “are worthy of happiness only when we
There are questions about transplant allocation in regards to the four major ethical principles in medical ethics: beneficence, autonomy, nonmaleficence and justice. Beneficence is the “obligation of healthcare providers to help people” that are in need, autonomy is the “right of patients to make choices” in regards to their healthcare, nonmaleficence, is the “duty of the healthcare providers to do no harm”, and justice is the “concept of treating everyone in a fair manner” ("Medical Ethics & the Rationing of Health Care: Introduction", n.d., p. 1).
Ethical principals are extremely important to understand in the healthcare field. Ethical responsibilities in any situation depend on the role of the healthcare worker and the nature of the decision being made. Healthcare administrators and professionals must make ethical decisions that can be an everyday or controversial situation. When making such decisions, it is imperative to consider the four major principles of ethics: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and distributive. By using these four principles, ethical decisions can effectively be made. For the purpose of this paper, examined will be the example of the treatment of an uninsured homeless patient. Poor health care be a cause and a result of homelessness.
The word ethics is derived from the Greek word ‘ethos’ meaning character or conduct. It is typically used interchangeably with word moral which is derived from the Latin word ‘moves’ which means customs or habits. Ethics refers to conduct, character and motivations involved in moral acts. Ethics are not imposed by a profession, by law but by moral obligation. It is unwritten code of conduct that encompasses both professional conduct and judgement. Ethics helps support autonomy and self-determination, protect the vulnerable and promotes the welfare and equality of human beings. An ethical dentist- patient relationship is based on trust, honesty, confidentiality, privacy and the quality of care.1
Ethical principles in healthcare are significant to the building blocks of mortality. The principles are beneficence, autonomy, justice, and nonmaleficence. Although these principles can be certainly followed they can also be disregarded. Beneficence is a theory that assures each procedure given is entirely beneficial to that patient to help them advance within their own good. For example, There was a young girl, the age of 17. She had been being treated at a small private practice since she was born. She was recently diagnosed with lymphoma and was only given a few more years to live. Her doctors at the private practice who had been seeing her for years were very attached to her and wanted to grant this dying girl her every wish. They promised
Ethics can be defined as "the conscious reflection on our moral beliefs with the aim of improving, extending or refining those beliefs in some way." (Dodds, Lecture 2) Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism are two theories that attempt to answer the ethical nature of human beings. This paper will attempt to explain how and why Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism differ as well as discuss why I believe Kant's theory provides a more plausible account of ethics.
Deontological moral theory is a Non-Consequentialist moral theory. While consequentialists believe the ends always justify the means, deontologists assert that the rightness of an action is not simply dependent on maximizing the good, if that action goes against what is considered moral. It is the inherent nature of the act alone that determines its ethical standing. For example, imagine a situation where there are four critical condition patients in a hospital who each need a different organ in order to survive. Then, a healthy man comes to the doctor’s office for a routine check-up. According to consequentialism, not deontology, the doctor should and must sacrifice that one man in order to save for others. Thus, maximizing the good. However, deontological thought contests this way of thinking by contending that it is immoral to kill the innocent despite the fact one would be maximizing the good. Deontologists create concrete distinctions between what is moral right and wrong and use their morals as a guide when making choices. Deontologists generate restrictions against maximizing the good when it interferes with moral standards. Also, since deontologists place a high value on the individual, in some instances it is permissible not to maximize the good when it is detrimental to yourself. For example, one does not need to impoverish oneself to the point of worthlessness simply to satisfy one’s moral obligations. Deontology can be looked at as a generally flexible moral theory that allows for self-interpretation but like all others theories studied thus far, there are arguments one can make against its reasoning.
Imagine being faced with an important decision that affects a group of people. In order to make this decision you would have to decide which choice is wrong and which choice is right. There are two notable theories that believe a single moral principle provides the best way to achieve the best outcome to a moral judgement. These theories are utilitarianism and Kantian ethics.
SUMMARY Utilitarianism, also known as Consequentialism is best associated with Jeremy Bentham and focuses on outcomes that produce the greatest good for the greatest number of people. This theory ties morality to happiness and/or pleasure and can ultimately be decide d by the consequences of the actions taken. Deontology is best associated with Immanuel Kant and focuses more on the rules the people follow to distinguish right from wrong. This theory looks at the intent of the actions taken. Legalism or Social Contract based morality is associated with John Lock and Thomas Hobbes and looks to a set of moral and political rules to govern behavior.
An example, respect for life, fairness, telling the truth, and keeping promises no matter what. The core of this ethical approach is to make ethical choices understanding that the moral action should be guided by the right and duties. According to Immanuel Kant, the most famous deontological thinker: "The theory of deontology states we are morally obligated to act in accordance with a certain set of principles and rules regardless of outcome." Virtue ethics is a term for theories that assert the role of character and virtue in moral philosophy rather than either doing your duty or acting in order to bring good consequences. Virtue ethics theories deal with questions like "how should I live?"
Imagine you and your friend are eating dinner in a restaurant and you're trying to talk to your friend but they are so focused on their phone, they can’t even hear you. Most people would be angry or frustrated at their friend. Even though your friend is at fault, it is not entirely their fault because cell phones are manipulating the behavior of millions of Americans. Not only are cell phones blocking the connection between people and hurting society.