ethics essay

ethics

the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong, moral values or principles

consequentialism

in ethics, the doctrine that actions should be judged on whether they are right/wrong or good/bad on the basis of their consequences

problems: ignores an individuals intentions, can be used to jusitfy things that arent morally right, it isnt possible to predict every outcome

utilitarianism

states that an action is right if it tends to promote happiness or pleasure and wrong if it tends to produce unhappiness or pain, for everybody involved. max happiness, minimize pain. greatest good for greatest number of people

problems: very calculated and not realistic, different ideas of pleasure and pain, demanding

qualitative hedonism

philosophical view that the value of a pleasure depends not only on its intensity and duration, but also on its inherent quality, distinguishes between higher pleasures (friendship, love) with lower pleasures (eating, resting)

issues: vague, no measurement of these good and bad pleasures, constant maximization of good is very demanding

deontology

idea that the morality of an action should be based on whether that action itself is right/wrong under a series of rules and principles

problems: ignores person feelings, has conflicting rules, extremely rigid, very calculated

categorical imperative

a rule of conduct that is unconditional or absolute for all agents, the validity or claim of which does not depend on any desire or ends ex: thou shalt not steal.

issue: some of these things can be justified in certain situations possibly, for example; killing out of self defense

virtue ethics

moral philosophy that focuses on who you are and your overall character rather than following a strict set of rules (deontology) or calculating the results of your actions (consequentialism)

the golden mean

artistotles idea that excellence lies in the middle way between two extreme states: excess and deficiency. ex: excess: rashness deficiency: cowardice BALANCE: COURAGE

herd morality

concept by Nietzsche which describes mass society and conventional ethics enforce conformity, suppress individual greatness, and prioritize collective comfort over truth

problems: under appreciates working together, and promotes elitism

master morality

nietzsche’s idea, master morality is a self-designation of the aristocratic classes, synonymous with nobility and everything powerful and life-affirming

slave morality

nietzsche’s idea that the “slaves: have the opposite idea of good to the masters, aristocratic “good” relabeled as “evil”, weak slave people resent the powerful

will to power

concept by Nietzsche that people do good things because they are overflowing with power, not out of the good of their own heart, perfects and transcends the self through the possession and exercise of creative power, irrational force influencing desires and motivations, leads to creativity and self-mastery

problems: very vague concept that promotes elitism and ignores genuine empathy

john stuart mill

english philosopher, political economist, and politican, contributed to idea of utilitarianism and qualitative hedonism

immanuel kant

german philosopher known for deontology

aristotle

greek philosopher, virtue ethics

frederich nietzsche

german philosopher who promoted rejecting traditional, universal, herd morality in favor of life-affirming virtues, master-slave morality