Ethics Assignment- Part One
Pros and Cons of Each of the Following;
- Virtue Ethics
The biggest pro of Virtue Ethics is that it deals with an individual’s character traits and how they use it to better the lives of other individuals. Unlike Deontological ethics, virtue does not force people to perform good deeds out of duty, but rather it prompts the action of doing good because they are innate in a person. A virtuous person acts morally and will treat others respect and compassion because he needs to not because he is obligated to (Ross, 78). In my life am always guided by virtue as enjoy helping the less fortunate in the society. I regularly volunteer at the homeless shelter to help with food distribution to ensure that no one goes hungry. I would recommend people to adopt this way of thinking because it will make the world a better place for everyone. Moreover, the theory of virtue makes people better versions of themselves and members of the society willing to help others and not putting personal interest first.
However, despite these positives, the theory does face criticism, and chief among them is that the theory provides no guidance on what to do in instances of moral dilemmas. Additionally, the theory does not classify what is wrong and right and lacks focus when pointing out morally acceptable actions from those that should be avoided. Instead, it just describes the kind of moral act one should develop to become a good person. Another criticism points to the fact that establishing the nature of virtues is not only difficult but also confusing. The theory of virtue fails to harmonize the different opinions of people of diverse cultures and societies. As a result, the theory leads to divergent opinions of what is right and wrong, making it hard to identify these virtues.
- Deontology
One of the biggest strengths of deontology is that it fits with the intuitive human knowledge of what is wrong and right that is inherent in all humans. Furthermore, it creates a moral absolute of which the outcome would be that every individual should aspire to be morally clean since there is an understanding of what is to be expected of them ethically (Paton 213). Furthermore, deontological ethics creates certainty as it focuses on the result of an action rather than the action leading to it. Therefore, if an action produces good results, then the individual should proceed with it, and if it produces bad results, it should be stopped. While things are not often clear cut, Deontological ethics requires us to choose actions that have a high probability of bringing specific positive results.
On the other hand, the biggest drawback of Deontological ethics is that it reduces morality to simply the avoidance of negative actions; as such, it does not make any effort towards the development of character like Virtue Ethics. In this respect, people should always be set out to perform good actions, not just avoid bad ones; being good should not be an obligation. Another weakness of deontological ethics is its conflicting moral duties as it does not readily provide a way to deal with a situation where two or more moral duties collide.
- Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory which implies that actions are correct if they benefit a majority of the people. As such, determining the morality of any decision depends on only the resulting outcome and not any other factor. It is the best definition of the end justifies the means. There are three guiding principles to creating a utilitarian society these are that actions are only right if its consequences maximize whatever is good; the only good thing in any society is happiness; finally, actions are only correct if a majority of individuals reap the maximum pleasure from it (Mill 86).
There are several pros to this ethical theory. First, is that it puts societal happiness at the core of its argument. It urges individuals to focus on the happiness of society for the greater good. Secondly, utilitarianism educates people against harming others. In this case, the theory teaches people that morality and ethics should be community-based, not an individual outlook. Therefore, if a personal choice makes an individual happy but harms others, then the choice is wrong. Finally, the utilitarian ethics theory seeks to create the highest good (Mill 104). In a perfect world, it would be ideal to have everyone happy and with an equal opportunity. However, thanks to cultural diversity, among other differences, this is impossible to achieve. It is for this reason that utilitarianism only focuses on the happiness of the majority and not everyone.
On the other hand, there are certain cons associated with this ethical theory. To start with, one of the most significant drawbacks of utilitarianism is that it does not consider any other element other than happiness to measure ethics and morality. It is critical to note that there are other valuable aspects to consider when analyzing the overall experience of what makes us human. I would not recommend this to anyone as it creates an unrealistic perception for the society, where the balance of happiness can be used to create harm over the minority.
Works Cited
Ross W.D. “Nicomachean Ethics: Aristotle.” Batoche Books, Kitchener, 1999.
Paton, Herbert James. The moral law: Kant’s groundwork of the metaphysic of morals. Hutchinson University Library, 1993.
Mill, John Stuart. On liberty; and, utilitarianism. Bantam Classics, 1993.