A Comparative Study of Diverse Ethical Theories and Philosophies

This essay provides a concise overview of several prominent ethical theories. It begins by explaining the Divine Command Theory, which posits that morality stems from God's commands, and the Kantian Duty Ethics theory, which emphasizes the inherent rightness or wrongness of actions irrespective of their consequences. The essay then explores Aristotle's Virtue Ethics, highlighting the importance of developing virtuous character traits. Socrates' Teleological theory, focusing on the consequences of actions, is also discussed, along with Utilitarianism, which prioritizes actions that maximize overall utility. Additionally, the essay touches upon Enlightened Self-Interest, Contrarianism, and Feminist Ethics, providing a well-rounded introduction to diverse perspectives within the field of ethics. The essay references McLachlan's "The Right Choice: Making Ethical Decisions on the Job" to support the discussion of the various theories. The essay aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of different ethical frameworks.

Running head: ETHICS
Ethics
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The Dvine Command Theory claims that God is the ultimate authority and his commands
should be regarded as the ulterior source of ethical commands that should determine the course
of human action (McLachlan, 2009). The divine commands should be followed regardless of the
consequences, as God’s commands are the only sources of ethics, to be followed. Moral good is
completely dependent on God and divine commands. The Kantian Duty Ethis theory, however,
states that an action can be inherently right or it can be inherently wrong, regardless of the
consequence it may have. Right course of actions should be pursued simply because they are the
right things to do, and wrong course of action should be dismissed because they are wrong, and
the wrong action must be avoided, even if the wrong action may not necessarily lead to bad
consequence. If an action is right, one should do it, even if it may produce wrong or harmful
consequences.
Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics Theory states that an individual who is willing to lead a noble
and ethical life, must ensure that he follows the ideal character traits as followed by any other
virtuous person in his life. The character of a virtuous person develops through his habit, and
thus his ethical nature is not a gifted quality, but rather an acquired skill. Prudence, justice,
temperance and courage are the four important virtues that a person must imbibe, if he wishes to
lead an ethical life. Socrates’ Teleological theory adopts a consequentialist approach, and states
that while determining the moral value of an action, the moral intent with which an action is
performed, does not deserve serious consideration, and rather the ultimate consequence of the
action will determine its moral value (McLachlan, 2009). If the end of an action is good or
desirable, the action should be performed, and should be regarded as ethically right, while in case
the end of an action is not good, even if the action had a noble intent, it will fail to qualify as a
moral action. The action has no moral value, but its end has.

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Again, Utilitarinaism states that the moral value of an action is dependent on its ability to
produce results that can ensure utility for maximum number of people. Utility of an action can be
defined as the sum of pleasure derived through an action minus the suffering of one or more than
one person involved in the action. The moral value of any action is solely dependent on the effect
produced on the mass of people, and its ability in generating maximum welfare amongst the
members of the community involved.
Enlightened self-interest theory of ethics is an important theory that states that anyone
who wishes and works for furthering the interest of others, ends up serving their own interests as
well. By doing good to others, an individual can easily assure a good life for himself. When an
individual decides to enhance another person’s quality of life, the quality of his own life will also
enhance in the process. Again, Contrarianism is a theory of belief which asks people to take up
actions contrary to popular beliefs and ideals (McLachlan, 2009). A contrarian is anyone who
holds a position contrary to the consensus position. This theory helps in questioning the
traditional values rather than conforming to them. Feminist Ethics is a belief which states that the
traditional theorists have always undermined the women’s perspectives about moral value of
actions. The traditional ethics focuses primarily on male perspectives on ethics with little or no
regard to female point of view. It is highly important to revise, re-formulate as well as rethink the
traditional ethics so that the moral experiences of women do not remain undervalued.

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Reference List:
McLachlan, J. (2009). The Right Choice: Making Ethical Decisions on the Job. Toronto:
Pearson-Prentice Hall.