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PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS
Name
Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Date
, 2
Ethics is an essential part of the life of a human being, taking into account the positive
effects it has on human interactions and other different parts. Therefore, having proper ethics can
significantly influence the decisions that one makes to realize the best possible results based on
the feelings and perceptions of others. It can be said that ethics are the root of civilizations
which, without the element of barbarianism, would be a significant element in the contemporary
world. Ethics are known to guide the morals of human beings by providing a clear outline of the
consequences of one’s actions towards others. This is because ethics can also be seen as a system
of beliefs centered around the actions that one does and how they can benefit the larger group.
However, there are different ethical theories that can guide and illuminate our moral lives as
human beings. These theories have different context regarding the perception of ethics and
morality as connected to how humans ought to live. Some of the widely known theories include
utilitarian, deontological, and virtue ethics. However, even though all these theories are essential
in the world, the main focus of this paper will be based on utilitarian ethics.
Utilitarian ethics is considered one of the theories in normative ethics. In this case, the
main context of the theory is centered around the element of doing the greatest good for the
largest number (Hursthouse & Crisp, 2013). As such, this acts as a guide to anyone using this
theory that the aim of ethics is making sure that the maximum good is done for the maximum
number of people. However, this does not mean that there is no chance of any evil been done by
using this theory. This is because decisions made using this theory depend on a weighing
mechanism that assesses the impact that one’s decisions may have on the larger number. In this
context, another mechanism employed by this theory is that while making decisions, people do
not seem to consider the already set rules but the consequences that their actions will have on
others, and as such, it can be said that this qualifies as one of the best ethical theories. This is
PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS
Name
Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Date
, 2
Ethics is an essential part of the life of a human being, taking into account the positive
effects it has on human interactions and other different parts. Therefore, having proper ethics can
significantly influence the decisions that one makes to realize the best possible results based on
the feelings and perceptions of others. It can be said that ethics are the root of civilizations
which, without the element of barbarianism, would be a significant element in the contemporary
world. Ethics are known to guide the morals of human beings by providing a clear outline of the
consequences of one’s actions towards others. This is because ethics can also be seen as a system
of beliefs centered around the actions that one does and how they can benefit the larger group.
However, there are different ethical theories that can guide and illuminate our moral lives as
human beings. These theories have different context regarding the perception of ethics and
morality as connected to how humans ought to live. Some of the widely known theories include
utilitarian, deontological, and virtue ethics. However, even though all these theories are essential
in the world, the main focus of this paper will be based on utilitarian ethics.
Utilitarian ethics is considered one of the theories in normative ethics. In this case, the
main context of the theory is centered around the element of doing the greatest good for the
largest number (Hursthouse & Crisp, 2013). As such, this acts as a guide to anyone using this
theory that the aim of ethics is making sure that the maximum good is done for the maximum
number of people. However, this does not mean that there is no chance of any evil been done by
using this theory. This is because decisions made using this theory depend on a weighing
mechanism that assesses the impact that one’s decisions may have on the larger number. In this
context, another mechanism employed by this theory is that while making decisions, people do
not seem to consider the already set rules but the consequences that their actions will have on
others, and as such, it can be said that this qualifies as one of the best ethical theories. This is
