What is ethics? So, Immanuel Kant, the deontologist, argues that they should save the people who weren't responsible for causing the fire, because protecting the innocent is always the right thing to do. He refused to discuss abstract metaphysical problems such as the immortality of the soul. 's' : ''}}. When annual EPS growth is 12. imaginable degree, area of credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. No attempt is made to find any underlying principles of conduct that might provide a more systematic understanding of ethics. Who's to say what makes an action good? Instead, it spread in different forms south into Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia and north through Tibet to China, Korea, and Japan. Apparently such differences in punishment were not thought to require justification. Visit the TECEP Introduction to Business: Study Guide & Test Prep page to learn more. Modern Western Ethics Ethical Theories; Subjectivism, Objectivism, Ethical Realism, Cultural Relativism, Super-naturalism, Moral Intuitionism for Competitive Exams In this connection, the Book of Job is notable as an exploration of the problem raised for those who accept this motive for obeying the moral law: why do the best of people frequently suffer the worst misfortunes? To consequentialists, morality is all about producing a good consequence. Basically, an action is morally justified if the person doing it is virtuous. credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level. For six years he led an ascetic life of renunciation, but finally, while meditating under a tree, he concluded that the solution was not withdrawal from the world, but rather a practical life of compassion for all. The Jains are vegetarian. Protocol and Respect. The earliest surviving writings that might be taken as ethics textbooks are a series of lists of precepts to be learned by boys of the ruling class of Egypt, prepared some 3,000 years before the Christian Era. Get the unbiased info you need to find the right school. There are four major ethical theories: deontology (or duty), utilitarianism, rights, and virtue. There are correspondingly fewer references to what is needed for a successful career, though it is frequently stated that God rewards the just. The Jain philosophy is based on spiritual liberation as the highest of all goals and nonviolence as the means of attaining it. What is right? Aristotle doesn't worry about what the best action is, though. Through such a life one might reach the ultimate goal, nirvana, a state in which all living things are free from pain and sorrow. Theories emerging from Europe or European-based cultures are known as the Western canon of philosophy. If you cannot think of a personal example, m, The executive officers of Rouse Corporation have a performance-based compensation plan and the performance criteria of this plan is linked to growth in earnings per share. Who's to say what's right or wrong? Is it wrong to lie? Respect towards family. He regarded religious ceremonies as a waste of time and theological beliefs as mere superstition. The third branch of normative ethics is virtue ethics, which examines the virtue of the actor, not the action. It didn't matter if lying could protect someone from harm, the action of lying was unethical and, therefore, a person shouldn't lie. Hence, truth and right are linked; to penetrate through illusion and understand the ultimate truth of human existence is to understand what is right. These questions are a starting point for a brief consideration of the main traditions of Western ethical thought. Stealing, of course, is another form of injury, but because of the absence of a distinction between acts and omissions, even the possession of wealth is seen as depriving the poor and hungry of the means to satisfy their wants. | 21 succeed. We're looking at the morality of the action itself, and that's it. Instead of trying to find universal truths that can apply in every situation, virtue ethics focuses on a case-by-case basis, answering questions like, 'How should I live? The person who became known as the Buddha (flourished c. 6th–4th century bce), which means the “enlightened one,” was born the son of a king. This emphasis persisted in the more detailed laws laid down elsewhere; as much as half of such legislation was concerned with crimes against God and ceremonial and ritualistic matters, though there may be other explanations for some of these ostensibly religious requirements concerning the avoidance of certain foods and the need for ceremonial cleansings. Because the eternal moral law is part of the universe, to do what is praiseworthy is to act in harmony with the universe, and accordingly such action will receive its proper reward; conversely, once the true nature of the self is understood, it becomes apparent that those who do what is wrong are acting self-destructively. The rule or commandments are absolute and cannot be bent or amended. Log in here for access. study It's worth noting that many religious rules are inherently deontological. The other great ethical system to develop as a reaction to the ossified form of the old Vedic philosophy was Buddhism. The Indian caste system, with its intricate laws about what members of each caste may or may not do, is accepted by the Upanishads as part of the proper order of the universe. Emphasis. Western Ethics. Premium Membership is now 50% off! This is the only branch of normative ethics that really takes intention into consideration, and it also has the widest breadth. In the oldest of the Indian writings, the Vedas, ethics is an integral aspect of philosophical and religious speculation about the nature of reality. From these ends follow certain virtues: honesty, rectitude, charity, nonviolence, modesty, and purity of heart. There is thus a belief in a right moral order somehow built into the universe itself. (Remember that 'normative' ethical theories are concerned with moral actions, and with how people 'ought' to live their lives.) With that one question, you've just unlocked the door to thousands of philosophical debates. The field of ethics focused on the morality of the consequences of an action is named, appropriately enough, consequentialism. Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. So now, when someone asks, 'What's the right thing to do?' - Definition & Theory, Strategic Human Resource Management: Definition & Importance, What is an External Environment in Business? 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