ETHICAL APPROACHES

I. FREEDOM OF EXCELLENCE
II. DEONTOLOGY (ENDS-BASED)
A. Divine Command Ethics
- Do what God commands. Avoid what God forbids (ex: 10
Commandments)
1. Euthyphro Dilemma - Challenge to Divine Command
a) MORALITY is arbitrary
b) We don’t need God to be good
2. Modified Divine Command Theory
a) Morality depends on God’s command
b) Aquinas: humans flourish according to the natural law
B. Categorical Imperative (Immanuel Kant/Kantian Deontology)
- Do what’s right because it’s right
1. Morality is obedience to self-imposed duty
2. Only a good will can be unconditionally good
3. We choose to do our duty or to obey the appropriate law for the sake of
duty and reverence for what is right
4. Enables us to know whether an action should be done or not
5. WEAKNESSES
a) Inflexible
b) It ignores consequences, it can have a negative impact on the
wider society
C. Human Rights Ethics (Contemporary Deontology)
D. Justice Ethics
1. Treat everyone equally except when certain considerations justify unequal
treatment
2. EXCEPTIONS TO EQUAL TREATMENT
a) Effort
b) Accomplishment
c) Contribution
d) Need
e) Seniority
f) Contract
g) Relationship or in-group status
E. HOW TO APPLY
1. Gather facts
2. Generate options/solutions
3. Evaluate according to universal rules
a) Modified Divine Command
b) Natural Law
c) Categorical Imperative
d) Rights Approach
 4. Choose the option consistent with the approach
III. TELEOLOGICAL (ENDS-BASED)
A. Consequentialism - aims to benefit the greater number
B. Natural Law - aims to fulfill our human telos
C. Virtue Ethics - aims to develop ideal character
D. Common Good - aims at a just/ideal society
IV. UTILITARIANISM
- Higher intellectual and psychological pleasures (self-esteem, conscience, etc.)
are to be preferred to sensual pleasures.
A. Rule Utilitarianism
1. Rules are to be followed if they serve the utility principle (greatest benefit
for greatest number) and abandoned if they do not.
B. Bentham’s Act (Hedonism)
1. A person’s act is morally right if and only if it produces the greatest
amount of benefits over harms in a particular situation
2. Felicific Calculus - calculating the overall balance of pleasures (hedons)
as against the amount of pain (dolons); quantitative approach to
consequences
C. Mills’ Rule
1. An act is morally right when it is in accordance with a moral rule whose
general observance would create the most benefit over harms
D. INSIGHTS
1. Morality's purpose is to make the world a better place
2. It is about producing good consequences, not about having good
intentions
3. Actions are not good or evil in themselves; the end justifies the means
4. We should do whatever will bring the most overall benefit for the greatest
number of people
5. Rules are to be followed unless they violate the utility principle
E. HOW TO USE
1. Identify alternative actions and the persons/group to be affected
2. Determine the pros and cons of each action
3. Select the action that produces the greatest benefits over harms
F. WEAKNESSES
1. Many goods cannot be compared and quantified
2. Hard to know what is the “greatest good” without the understanding of
anthropology
3. Actual outcomes are not predictable
4. Too demanding to figure the consequences for those involved
5. Can lead to violation of justice and human rights and lessen trust among
persons
6. Some acts can damage the integrity of the acting person.