ETHICS THEORIES

Development of ethics: Phase 1

• Stage 1 : Thawing the seed thought
• Input of thought in childhood
• As observed by kids in surroundings
• As told by elders
• There is potential for multiple seeding, multiple germination and sprouting
• Children believe what others are doing is the right thing
• Thought of right or wrong is not based on knowledge
• This stage needs to be tendered and cared for carefully as right and healthy seeds should be
sown
• This one of the fundamental parental responsibilities to input most relevant and appropriate
thoughts should be implanted
• This stage lasts for 5 years
• Stage 2 : cultivation and nourishment
• A deep sense of clarity of knowledge driven thoughts strongly grows in kids during this stage
• Most critical stage for development of knowledge oriented, thought driven ethical concepts
• There is multiple intellectual input for exploration of truth governing different phenomena
• This stage spans about 10 years when kids sprout into their teens and they have almost
unlimited potential for growth
• Children have unlimited access to all forms, kinds and varieties of knowledge which they
themselves start nurturing as per knowledge they gather through literature and
observations made in society
• Children in stage have curiosity to know more about world and seek guidance from those
who have passed through various stages of life
• Stage 3 : concept modulation
• This is the stage of modulation, refinement and proper crystallisation of well
understood knowledge driven thought process.
By this time children have exposed themselves to different types and facets of
knowledge driven thoughts and would have acquired the skills necessary to
discriminate between right thoughts and wrong ones.
• They also acquire the courage and skills to suitably experiment with their
knowledge driven thoughtsto verify and confirm and to form firm conviction
based knowledge driven thoughts and actions.
Development of ethics: Phase 2
• Stge 1 : nucleation of the concept of the righteousness
• Morale is the inner state of human conscience and ethics is the outer state. Morale
is the first seed discipline of thought process of the inner mind that has tendency
to align with higher spectrum of virtues.
• However, human actions may not be driven by higher spectrum of virtues as one
may commit a crime being totally conscious about it. It is therefore a complex
mechanism.
• Process of learning leads to understanding, understanding leads to some
interpretation about things, phenomena, observations etc. such interpretation
gets transformed into intellectual component where there is not uncertainty of
thoughts
• Stage 2 : identifying the seed of righteousness
• From observation of incidences and phenomenon
• Data from published literature
• Confirmation from reliable sources, experts
• Stage 3 : sprouting the seed of concept of righteousness
• Generated data and information is carefully understood for it means and stands for
• Understanding between data and environment is necessary here as the information
collected has resulted from some incidents or circumstances
• Stage 4 : nurturing the concept of righteousness
• Interpretation of a process, phenomena or an observation when similar understanding
emerge from similar data or information
• Stage 5 : development of the concept of righteousness
• Re-alignment and verification of new information with new circumstances
• Re-understanding of variations if any
• Stage 6 : evolution of the concept of righteousness
• There is no ambiguity
• Stage 7 : refinement and strengthening of the concept of righteousness
• personal, professional, social ethics get formulated
Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory
Level 1 : pre-conventional morality
• Stage 1 development of first concept of right or wrong – upto 9 years
• Obedience and punishment orientation
• Stage 2 : individualism and exchange
• Children continue to obey due to punishment orientation though they realise different views about right
or wrong

Level 2 : conventional morality - development of conscious effort to build an overall comfortable

acceptability of actions coupled with development of sense of rightful duties and responsibilities
together with development of sense of guilt for contradicting above.
• Stage 3 Good interpersonal relationships – youngsters realise morality (doing right or wrong)
goes beyond obeying orders and extends to living upto family expectations
• Stage 4 maintaining the social order
• Youngsters develop good reasoning power and develop necessary skills to practice good
interpersonal relationship with family members and close friends.
• They start respecting social norms , rules, regulations and build a concerning sense of
discharging duties with a responsible approach.

Level 3 Post conventional morality

• Stage 5 : social contract and individual rights
• Society becomes an entity with good social contract arrangement where people work with a
high degree of sense of mutual responsibility for good of all and in return they expect society
to guard certain basic values and rights of people
• Stage 6 : universal principles
• People further the cause of social consciousness they have built to further the cause of
ensuring better standards for society.
 Consequentialism theory
• Anscombe in 1958
• According to this theory a decision and the consequent action could be described
ethical only if outcome remains totally good in all respects. It should not have any
adverse effects on anybody.
• This theory does not support many scientific product innovations
• Gave rise to 3 by product concepts
• 1. action performed would be morally right if consequence of the action brings more
benefits than harm
• 2. action performed would be morally right if consequence of the action brings benefit
to many people even if it harms a little
• 3. action performed would be morally right if consequence of the action brings more
benefits to everybody and less harmful to people
Utilitarianism theory
• Does not rule out adverse effects of an action
• Based on utility of an action and its outcome on society based on beneficial and adverse impacts of action
• Morality of an action cant have universal standard for qualification
• Encompasses 3 types of ethics – descriptive (different societies have different moral standards), normative (an
action which could be considered wrong in a society could be right in other society), analytical ethics (morality
is relative)
• Considers on average both adverse effects of an action and beneficial effects of same action and tries to
wight them together on same scale.
• Whichever outweighs the other , either good or bad would decide on ethicality, morality or righteousness of
decision and accompanying action.
• For example an action designed to good for a larger section of society then its adverse action cannot be
taken seriously.
• This theory however does not support any activity that can bring an apparently quantifiable benefit.
• It is the basis of all technological development aimed at enhancing material comforts in society as a
whole – society learned to live with products with smaller vices together with larger virtues, thus
considering such products as ethical as they are providing more good than harm.
Deontological theory – 4 tenets
Duty Ideology of Samuel Pufendorf
• All men have to shoulder 3 basic duties
• One’s duty towards God
• One’s duty towards oneself
• One’s duty towards the rest of the society
Ideology of John Locke
God has bestowed upon mankind certain personal rights like safety, freedom to live
comfortably, freedom to ensure one’s health and blongings.
Declaration of Independence authored by Thomas Jefferson endorsed this approach and
upholds three aspects – right to live, right to liberty and right to pursue one’s comforts and
happiness not jeopardising those of others.
Ideology of Immanuel Kant
In addition to discharging their basic duties and responsibilities, people carry equally major
counter responsibilities particularly before staking their claim to rights. This was done to
ensure good social balance is maintained otherwise everybody would be staking their
claims to many things in the society which society cannot afford to be distributing.

Ideology of WD Ross
• People have some natural fundamental duties . Man has to live in harmony with nature.
He cannot exploit nature and deprive someone else of its benefits. Some duties : 1.
uphold the dignity of words and assurances, attitude to rescue injured and hurt ones,
acknowledging help and support, upholding true merits, ensuring welfare of others,
enhancing self utility to society and restraint from violence.
Social contract theory
Proposed by Thomas Hobbes
• Extension of the theory of consequentialism which says impact and outcome of an action
should decide about ethicality of said action. It is based on psychological hedonism - actions
that are not pre-contemplated or pre decided with pre planned objectives but are spontaneous
in nature. Here personal pleasure would be the only criterion even if one of the involved parties
does not derive any pleasure whatsoever and may even suffer mental agony. Many such acts
may remain outside the purview of general public for example action within the four walls of
family. Many acts are based on inter personal relation between two people and others in family
may not even know about such acts where Actions do harm others and do not even become
public knowledge.
• Hobbes suggests that human nature and actions should be bound by certain personal and
social moral codes of discipline embracing do’s and don’t’s to ensure social harmony and
comfort for all in a society. Such moral codes should be a part of moral contract of
agreement and contract of mutual commitment between people in society. Practice and
compliance of such moral codes of personal, inter personal and social conduct can ensure
comfortable living in society.