A Closer Look Into Virtue Ethics and Kantian Moral Theory

INTRODUCTION

The human ability to comprehend, rationalized and make moral decisions are what distinguishes us from other animal kingdoms. It is no doubt, that human reasoning and moral decisions are often influenced by ethics, which is defined by one’s society, one’s culture or beliefs. Therefore, it is through ethics one can decide which behavior or action is acceptable or is morally right or wrong. Ethics is known to be a system of moral principles that governs an individual’s behavior. This portfolio contains two chapters that give a detailed definition and explanation of what ethics is and its impact in today’s society.

In philosophy, there are many ethical theories some of which are: virtue ethics, natural law, divine command theory, utilitarianism theory and Kantian ethics. These theories are explained throughout the two chapters of this portfolio along with real life stories including one that contradict Kant moral duty as it relates to how we ought to treat humans. These theories discussed within this portfolio are of important, as each theory includes sets of moral principles that judge what actions are morally right or wrong and they are practiced to resolve complex issues such as a dilemma.

Ethics is a part of everyday life; it is a part of professions, religion, and schools just to name a few. My job requires us not to treat people as a means to an end but rather to treat individuals as an end themselves; this means that my motives for helping and being friendly should not be solely to gain anything. My job is somewhat consistent with duty base ethics, because in my job we act upon principle to recognize the right of others and we act autonomously to everyone.

CHAPTER ONE: Virtue Ethics

Ethics stems from the Greek word ethos, which means character or custom. Morality and moral decisions between what is good and evil comes to mind when ethics is mentioned. Ethics may be defined broadly, as a system of moral principles that governs an...