Ethics Theories Four major theories of ethics in the Western world ✓Utilitarianism: net benefits ✓Rights:

entitlement ✓Justice: fairness ✓Egoism: self-interest

Ethics Theories (Cont.) Utilitarianism • Examine an action’s effects to decide whether it is morally correct
• Action is morally right if the total net benefit of the action exceeds the total net benefit of any other
action • Assumes a person can assess all costs and benefits of an action

Ethics Theories (Cont.) Utilitarianism (cont.) ✓ Rule utilitarianism asks a person to assess actions
according to a set of rules designed to yield the greatest net benefit to all affected • Compares act to
rules • Does not accept an action as right if it maximizes net benefits only once • E.g. lying is always
wrong ✓ Act utilitarianism asks a person to assess the effects of all actions • Rejects the view that
actions can be classified as right or wrong in themselves • E.g. lying is ethical if it produces more good
than bad

Ethics Theories (Cont.) Rights ✓ Right: a person’s just claim or entitlement • Legal right: defined by a
system of laws • Moral right: based on ethical standards (look up International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights) ✓ Purpose: let a person freely pursue certain actions without interference from others •
Negative rights: do not interfere with another person’s rights (e.g. do not stop a person from
whistleblowing) • Positive rights: A person has a duty to help others pursue their rights (e.g. co-worker
helps another person blow the whistle on unethical practices) For example: Google engineer fired over
memo files labor complaint