Different religious and philosophical views on controversial topics.
Jonathan Lloyd PRE assessed essay The smallest wonder Amillia, born only 21 weeks and six days after conception, is the most premature baby ever to survive. In England the cut-off point for abortion with no medical reason is 24 weeks, Amillia is destined to grow into a healthy human being, and so does abortion amount to murder? Buddhist A Buddhist would say that all life is sacred and should never be taken away, and to have an abortion would amount to murder and as such would place the worst kind of bad karma upon your soul. The first Buddhist precept is do not kill, this is to say that to take the life of any living creature is wrong and because they believe in ensoulment at birth that even a foetus is considered living. However, they would also say that intention is a great factor and as such if you mean well and spare the mother or the child future pain then abortion may not give as much bad karma. Utilitarian A utilitarian would say that this proves that the abortion cut-off point is too long because no amount of pain on the parent's part would ever account for all of the pleasure in the child's life. However if the child was to be handicapped and would not have the ability to live with an acceptable quality of life then it would cause less pain overall to abort the birth. Kantian A Kantian would say that to take a human life under any circumstances is wrong and
Aristotle - Virtue Ethics Essay
ARISTOTLE - VIRTUE ETHICS ESSAY Timothy Pruss QUESTION A: How does one apply virtue ethics to business ethics? When considering Aristotelian ethics and then placing them in the context of modern business practices, it is important to note that the Greek paradigm was very different to that of our own in the modernist age. Homer's Greek myths, imminent wars and conflicts and empires were all important issues in Greek times, society however does not place such emphasis on these in today's society. The concept of strong bonds in a community where individuals must dutifully care for one another is not integral in today's society especially in a more capitalist society upon which the western world works and flourishes. Individuals in a community can live without the obligation of duty to others and without pride if they so wish. In light of this, it is worth noting that business practice and transaction in accordance with Aristotelian ethics would not be very common in the modern age. Aristotelian ethics centred round the concept of improving one' self - to quite literally make oneself more virtuous. To become more virtuous is to improve one's soul - the soul for Aristotle is split into two halves, - the irrational soul which focuses around the human desires and the rational soul which centres on the intellectual virtues. Aristotle argues virtue is not a quality that human
Utilitarianism is a contrast to classic approaches to ethics. One of the main features or indeed the basis of Utilitarianism is the 'Greatest happiness for the greatest number' theory which posses a secular oUtlook to ethics.
Utilitarianism is a contrast to classic approaches to ethics. One of the main features or indeed the basis of Utilitarianism is the 'Greatest happiness for the greatest number' theory which posses a secular oUtlook to ethics. Utilitarianism is the doctrine according to which actions are made right or wrong so far as they promote happiness, wrong in so far as they promote the reverse. The form of this definition conceals the fact that Utilitarianism is often called the consequentalist doctrine. One main feature of Utilitarianism is that according to Utilitarianism actions are not themselves intrinsically right or wrong; they are right or wrong in so far as they have good or bad oUtcomes. The version of Utilitarianism which holds the 'greatest happiness for the greatest number theory was popularised by Jeremy Benthem and his disciple John Mill and from them we have the ' Greatest happiness principle'. This derived from a 19th Century philosopher, Jeremy Benthem (1748-1831) who was the founder of Utilitarianism; Utilitarianism began life as an ethical principle under Jeremy Bentham who theorised that an action is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people. In its original form the argument had many flaws, so John Stuart Mill decided to defend the principle of Utility against its critics by refining its ideas making them more practical in society.
Kant’s moral theory
The main question which Kant's moral theory was designed to answer is: 'what is the nature of morality?' this question can also be put in different ways: 'what is a moral action as contrasted with a non-moral one?' or again, 'what is the difference between a person who acts morally and one who does not?' Kant believe that this question, or set of questions, could be answered that the key to it lay in distinguishing between acts done from 'inclination' and acts done from a 'sense of duty'. People often indulge in a certain course of action because they are forced to. For instance, if I am waylaid by a thief, I will be forced to turn my money over to him if I have any, or if I refuse, I am forced to suffer the consequences. In such a case, we would not ordinarily describe my actions as being 'voluntary actions', or 'actions done because I wanted to'. Nor would we say that I was 'doing my duty'. In this instance. Not a free agent; I am properly described as not acting either 'inclination' or 'from duty' but rather as 'being compelled to do it.' Hence, it is a requisite of any act being done from 'inclination' or 'duty' that it be the act of a free agent. Now, obviously, individuals often free in the above sense - nobody is forcing them to behave in a certain way, or otherwise constraining their behaviour. For instance I am free tonight either to go to a movie or to stay at
What is the relationship between religion and morality?
What is the relationship between religion and morality? Humanists and atheists see no connection between religion and ethics, arguing that it is possible to be ethical without being religious. However, others contend that ethics and religion are inseparable, a common view held by Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Jews. An atheist would hold the view that morals are independent of God (autonomy.) Humanists hold strong ethical beliefs, however, deny the existence of a supernatural being. A key question here is, do morals come from God? If not, where do they come from? Do religious people stand a better chance of being moral than non- religious people? Plato asked the key question 'is x good because God commands it or does God command it because x is good? The view that moral rules are true by virtue of being commanded by God is called the divine command theory. 'The good consists in always doing what God wills at any particular moment.' Emil Brunner. The philosopher Gottfried Leibniz writes: '... in saying that things are not good by any rules of goodness, but merely the will of God, it seems to me that one destroys, without realizing it, all the love of God and all his glory. For why praise him for what he has done if he could be equally praiseworthy in doing exactly the contrary.' 'To a Christian, to do one's duty is to do the will of God.' D. Z. Phillips. If we are
What are the main features of Utilitarianism as an ethical theory? Examine and consider criticisms that have been made against Utilitarianism.
Religious Studies - Ethics 'Evaluating Utilitarianism' What are the main features of Utilitarianism as an ethical theory? (10 marks) Examine and consider criticisms that have been made against Utilitarianism. (10 marks) Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that pivots around the belief that morality should be judged by consequence and the way in which an action can be deemed moral or immoral, depends upon the number to which it brings the greatest happiness. A decision can be defined as ethically correct under the theory of Utilitarianism if the moral choice provides the 'greatest good for the greatest number of people', proving that at the core of Utilitarianism are the ideals of pleasure and consequence. Although Utilitarianism provides a useful, simplistic way for making moral decisions, it has notable faults, which limit its capability as an ethical strategy. Ethical theories can be classified into two groups; these being deontological theories and teleological theories. Utilitarianism is a teleological theory, so for a Utilitarian, actions are judged on the results that they accomplish. Morality is therefore centred on consequence rather than motives. Contrary to a deontological theory, which believes the action itself to be the most important rather than the outcome, Utilitarianism recognises that a course of action is considered good depending upon the outcome of
Explain ethical egoism. Do you believe that it is true? Why or why not?
Explain ethical egoism. Do you believe that it is true? Why or why not? Ethical egoism is a normative theory that states, an individuals actions ought to be done from the perspective to maximize one's self-interest. Ethical egoism requires that people give special treatment to themselves, that they have a duty to serve their self-interest. Egoism holds that a person should act only when the action benefits them, and they should therefore refrain from actions when the act produces no benefits for them. When one action is wrong the opposite of the action rationally would seem to be one that is correct. If helping a person would hinder your own self-interst, this would therefore seem to make it morally permissible for a person to perform harm to others in situations where their self-intrest will benefit from the action. But, an egoistic must act in accordance with one's own eternal self-interest, therefore they are not just individuals who believe that they should always do what they like when they like, because acting in accordance with this maxim would not always necessarily benefit the person in the long-term. When we say that a person ought to do something, we are also implying is that they are capable of doing it the action. We cannot expect people to do things that they cannot do. In the scenario of a drowning child, if one cannot swim, then one is not physically capable
life after death
Nura Hassan Life after death "Describe the teachings and beliefs of the religion which you are studying about death and what may happen afterwards" All Christians believe that when someone dies, that person goes to either hell or heaven, the Christian view points differ as there is no agreement on some aspects of heaven and hell, for instance how to get there. An ontological Christian believes that it's how much you love god (his essence of being) that matters. The more you love God the more chance you have of going to heaven. In Romans 10 :9 Jesus says, "if you confess that Jesus is the Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved", which means if you believe and love God than you will be saved from hell. The Functional Christian belief is that the more good you do (physically) like going to church etc. then the more chance you have of going to heaven, implying 'do good things get good things'. They believe that it's your deeds that will choose your position in the afterlife. They may refer to the bible teaching Mark 10: 40-42; "and who ever welcomes a good man because he is good, will share in his reward. You can be sure that whoever gives even a drink of cold water to one the least of these my followers because he is my follower, will certainly receive a reward." Here, it says that the people that help other Christians will be rewarded in the
Should our moral beliefs be based on the utilitarian principle of securing the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people?
-- Introduction -- Should our moral beliefs be based on the utilitarian principle of securing the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people? In order to answer the question above, first of all it is necessary to clarify what utilitarian principle is. The utilitarian principle is one of many theories to answer the ethical nature of human being. Being of the most influential western philosophy thoughts, the utilitarian approach is defined as an ethical theory that holds that an action is right if it produces, or if it tends to produce, the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people affected by the action. Otherwise the action is wrong. (Business Ethics 1999) Utilitarianism is a philosophy which has been around for centuries, and is still active and popular in the modern world. It is important not only in philosophy itself, but also in areas such as economics, politics, and even people's daily life. To some people, Utilitarianism seems to be the only ethical philosophy which is obviously correct. To others, it seems to be quite misconceived, even wrong. There have been many arguments raised about the utilitarian principle, amongst them, one of the most famous and influential theory, which is a contrasting thought to utilitarian, is argued by Kant, saying that the basic moral values should be applied universally, and the principle is that one will act in
How Does Virtue Ethics apply to Business Ethics?
Edward Cohen How Does Virtue Ethics apply to Business Ethics? As with all forms of ethics, whilst written about in a general sense the ethical thought appear a feasible process and an appropriate way to act and behave, it however needs to stand up against certain moral issues to 'test' its fallibility. Business ethics would be one such example. Aristotle, the farther of virtue ethics felt community care is the reason for the market system. A business would be selfless economic structure and ethos. Aristotle's word, 'oikonomikos' is used to show this household trading and community-based economy Virtue ethics as described by Aristotle has a central thesis of improving oneself to be a better person. If everyone strives to do this then the world would become a more productive and moral environment to live in. He argues that the rational side of he soul which revolves around intellectual values is the side which should be cared for by the individual. He argues that virtue ethics is 'at variance with the central feature of the modern economic order.' He feels 'internal goods' are the most important to produce, these are unique to a particular activity which use 'analytic skill, strategic imagination and competitive intensity.' Fame, money and power would therefore not come into this so would be described as unvirtuous goals. He gives an example of two fishing communities;