ETHICAL THEORIES

GEMMA ROBERTA MAGNA A. BRINOSA, RN, MAN

• Theoretical ethics—or ethical theory—is the systematic
effort to understand moral concepts and
justify moral principles and theories. Applied ethics deals
with controversial moral problems, such as questions about
the morality of abortion, premarital sex, capital punishment,
euthanasia, and animal right
• Ethics concerns not what we do, but what we ought to
do, whereas theories can be identified as formal (and
ideally coherent and justified) statements that explain
a certain matter. Ethical theories are thus formal
statements about what we ought to do, when faced
with an ethical dilemma
 WHAT ARE THE 3 MAIN THEORIES OF
ETHICS?

1. Deontology
2. Teleology
3. Utilitarianism