Ethical Theories

• 1. Teleological ethics `comes from a Greek word Telos or goal

or end .this expressed in the maxim he right thing to do is the
good thing to do.
The teleological approach is also termed as act utilitarianism
where the good resides in the promotion of happiness or the
greatest net increase of pleasure over pain.
Joseph Fletcher a situation ethicist said that human need
determines what is or what is not ethical . if the act helps people,
then it is a good act, and if it hurts people it is a a bad one.
 Teleological Ethics
Fletcher provides the guidelines for making
Ethical decisions: 1l.considerations for people as
human beings 2.considerations of
consequences 3.proportyionate good to come
from the choices 4. propriety of actual needs
over ideal and proportionate needs 5. n a desire
to enlarge choices and reduce chance 6. and a
courageous acceptance of the consequence of
the decision.
 Teleological Ethics
• E.g. The City health Department is planning
for their annual budget. The modernization of
the city hospital or the nutrition and
immunization programs of the poverty-
stricken families of the city. To which program
they allot a bigger budget? Will promotion of
health and prevention of illness have priority
over treatment of illness and rehabilitation?
 Teleological ethics
• Utilitarian Ethics ;it upholds the notion that
that human being should act for them to
produce the greatest happiness , or the highest
quantity of pleasure directed towards e
greatest number of recipient or beneficiaries.
• There are two divisions of utilitarianism namely
; 1. Act –requires that the man should act so as
to produce the greatest happiness to the
greatest number of people
 Teleological Ethics
• It is also called EUDAIMONISTIC (based on the
notion of Happiness.
• 2. Rule – human person should act so that the
rule governing their action will produce the
greatest happiness for the most number of
people.
• It is also called Hedonistic (based on the
notion of Pleasure)
 Teleological Ethics
• Utilitarianism: states that the rightness and wrongness of
actions is determined by the goodness and badness of
their consequences.
• E.g. Physician for instance . should minimize the cost of
suffering of their patients. Whenever there is a choice
between various but equally effective method of medical
treatment ,patients benefits should be maximized and the
cost and risks are minimized. To use an expensive method
at the expense of the patient when an inexpensive one
may be sufficient would be highly regarded.
 Virtue ethics
• Also known as aretaic ethics (from a Greek word
arete) is focused primarily on the heart of the
person performing the act. It focuses on the traits
and virtues of a good person such as courage,
temperance, wisdom and justice. However doing
the right thing is not all that is needed. One must
have the right motivation, disposition, and traits
for being good and doing right such as courage
,magnanimity, ,honesty , justice and beneficence.
 Virtue Ethics
• Intellectual Virtue is the power to deliberate
about things good for oneself. Moral virtue on
the other hand must be lived overtime in
order to be learned. Nurses , when faced with
particular situation must be able to know
what to do. They must be able to integrate
virtue ethics with duty.
 Virtue Ethics
• E.g. Suppose a student is requested by her
classmate , who is also her best friend. To let
her copy in their examination so that she will
pass. The student should not allow this to
happen as formal cooperation in an evil act is
never allowed. She will be as equally guilty as
the one who will cheat as she will be serving
as an accomplice to the evil act.
 Divine command Ethics
• Is based on the theory that there is a Supreme
or Divine being that sets down the rule to
provide guidance to moral decisions. For
Christians , these rules are found in the Ten
Commandments. Differences in religion ,
however pose a problems such as what to do
when the decision would conflict one’s
religious beliefs.
 Divine Command Ethics
• For example members of the Jehovah’s
Witnesses will not receive blood transfusion
even if their lives will be put in danger.
• Example: A Nurse is approached by a friend who
request for an abortion. The nurse refuses but
refers the friend to a doctor who can perform it .
this is violation of the divine command , ”Thou
shall not Kill . It violates the principles relating
top the origin and destruction of life.