Ethical Theories Overview Essay (Critical Writing)

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Ethics is an essential part of every person’s worldview event despite the fact that some people do not recognize it. Over centuries, philosophers have proposed numerous ethical theories which often have conflicting ideas. In my view, the most reasonable theories of ethics are utilitarianism and relativism, while the least compelling of all is egoism.

I prefer utilitarianism over all other ethical theories because it ultimately rests on the premise of deriving the maximum amount of benefit from any situation. Nevertheless, it does not imply that a person must engage in an activity that will cause detriment to others. On the contrary, utilitarianism is meant to be applied with every party affected in mind. In other words, when relying on utilitarian principles, an individual seeks to ensure maximum happiness both for themselves and everyone around them.

Another ethical theory that I find compelling is ethical relativism which postulates that assessing the morality of actions of people should always be done by taking into consideration their culture. This approach is beneficial for gaining a better understanding of the ways individuals belonging to different cultures choose to act in certain circumstances. It also helps a person to change their perception of various situations and reflect on their own conduct.

Finally, the least reasonable theory of ethics is egoism since it entails a disregard for the interests of others. Moreover, it rejects any moral authority in the life of a person and imposes no limitation on how one should behave (Mackey and Elvey 18). Essentially, ethical egoism allows an individual to engage in all kinds of morally reprehensible activities and not reflect on whether these actions are wrong.

There are numerous theories of ethics that are worth exploring, but utilitarianism and relativism are the most compelling ones, while egoism is the least acceptable. Utilitarianism teaches a person to always strive to attain maximum well-being for everyone in every situation. While relativism allows one to see the actions of another individual from a different perspective. On the other hand, egoism postulates that people should always be governed by their own desires, no matter whether they are wrong or right.

Work Cited

Mackey, David, and Elvey, Kathryn. Society, Ethics, and the Law: A Reader. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2020.

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