| Utilitarianism | Ethical Egoism | Ethics of Care | Kantianism | Prima Facie Duties | Divine Command Theory | Virtue Theory | |
| How is “good” Determined | The theory mandates everyone to perform the acts that will bring about happiness or greater good for all the individuals concerned . | The Universal Ethical Egoism, which is a unique form of egoism, states that everyone should serve their own best interests irrespective of the interests of others, not unless self-interests are mutually beneficial for all . | The theory determines good according to gender. While men's view of ethics centers around independence, justice, competition, and justice, women's view revolves around reconciliation, maintaining close relationships, harmony, and generosity . | The theory centers around the belief that except for goodwill, nothing is good in itself at all. Immanuel Kant defined goodwill as an act that accords to laws, moral values, and principles irrespective of consequences or personal interests (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2014). | According to this theory, good is determined by obedience before minding other considerations. Human beings are thus mandated to follow the rules and regulations. | Good is determined by a higher force that the typical imperfect human or natural world. Consequently, human beings must strive to follow the rules without considering self-interests or consequences. | The determinant of good is not abstract rules or consequences of actions, but it is the development of a virtuous person. |
| Most Noted Philosopher(s) |
John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham |
John Hospers, Ayn Rand, and Jesse Kalin |
Carol Gilligan | Immanuel Kant | Sir William David Ross | Saint Augustine | Aristotle |
| Major Strengths |
The biggest strength is an increase in happiness as well as decreased violence, which is a utility in itself. We are given the absolute power to determine between right and wrong since the good or bad consequences are the sole determinants of our actions. |
The focal point of an individual is making ethical egoism which leads to personal development. One's self-interests are always met, together with the basic needs. . |
The theory focuses on the ideal situation where both men and women consider both views of ethics because each gender could learn something from the other. Unlike other theories, this one focuses on emotional reason in determining right and wrong. |
The theory bases all the rules on moral reasoning, which is the second most crucial human attribute. |
The major strength is the belief that human beings must adhere to specific duties unless stated otherwise by substantial reasons or consequences. Although they do not determine an action's right or wrong, consequences necessitate moral decisions. |
Considering God as the source of morality, it is not up to humans to determine right or wrong. | Virtue ethics tend to unify emotion and reason by arguing that people do what is virtuous by using reasoning while at the same time, start feeling virtuous due to the same actions. |
| Major Weaknesses | The theory’s major weakness has to do with justice. In the quest to make fulfill everyone’s happiness, some standards of the law and justice may be violated. | Believers of the approach often have to lie about what they believe in, and dishonesty leads to questioning of moral character. | Using emotions to determine right and wrong can cloud judgment in that an individual may break ethical codes knowingly because they care and feel they are obligated to act in such a manner. | Making rules universal could also make them inconsistent, which makes it difficult to determine their moral validity. |
Choices are based on intuition which can at times be logically wrong There is no concrete determinant of the strength or importance of action. |
The lack of proof of the existence of such a supernatural being refutes the claim that such a being should be responsible for determining the guidelines of morality . |
Aristotle assumes that all things have a sole purpose, which is happiness for human beings, but there is no concrete evidence to support such claims. In the same way, there is no evidence to support Aristotle's other claim that human beings are implanted with the tendency to be moral. |
References
Thiroux, J. P., & Krasemann, K. W. (2014). Ethics: Theory and Practice . New York, NY: Pearson College Division.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
