Ethical Philosophy Essay Examples and Topics

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176 samples

Utilitarianism Theory Essay

At the center of the utilitarian argument that shifts from the concern we physically have for our personal feelings of pain and pleasure, to others feelings of pain and pleasure, is the belief that this [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1081

Socrates: Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living

By saying that "unexamined life is not worthy living", Socrates was referring to freedom, a state of making choices about your surrounding, a state of choosing your destination, having the freedom to criticize issues, setting [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 447

Thomas Aquinas’ and Emanuel Kant’s Moral Philosophy

Since human beings have rationality that is generated from God, they possess natural law that enables them to perceive what is morally acceptable."Aquinas emphasizes that human acts should be based on reason which is intrinsically [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1189

​Do the “Ends Justify the Means?”

When comparing the crimes that might be committed and the fact that the person will be late for work, it is clear that the lateness is not as important.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 859

Utilitarianism vs. Moral Relativism

If to assume that moral relativism is true, then it is impossible to discuss good and bad outside the specific situation. Thus, their actions were morally wrong according to the assumptions of moral relativism.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1213

Ethical Theories and Nepotism Relationships

Relating to the ethical theory of ethics of justice to nepotism, it should be mentioned that justice is considered to be fair on the basis of various human considerations.
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1925

Ethics Types, Differences, Applications

To be more particular about the two types above of ethics, virtue ethics can be defined as the type of ethics that "focuses on the character traits and nonobligatory ideas that facilitate the development of [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 856

Application of Aristotle’s Golden Mean

The doctrine of the golden mean is a request for a realistic moral axiom. The word "virtue" is used in some cases to denote a personal quality and, in others, as a generalized indicator of [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 651

Divine Command Theory

Divine command theory is based on the idea that God is the determinant of right and wrong behavior. It is wrong for believers to say that the commandments given by God are arbitrary because He [...]
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  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 746

Philosophy: Aristotle on Moral Virtue

Both virtue and vice build one's character and therefore can contribute to the view of happiness. Therefore, character education leads to happiness that is equal to the amount of wisdom and virtue.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 562

Mill’s vs. Kant’s Ethical Theories on Lie

Stuart Mill's utilitarianism and Emmanuel Kant's deontology, to answer the question is it acceptable to lie to my friend to spare her feelings if the lie would not cause great harm?
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 1713

“Virtue Ethics and Adultery” by Raja Halwani

In my opinion, that in the context of marriage and adultery, there is a connection between love and sex. According to Halwani, adultery is permissible in situations where the partner does not demonstrate fidelity, including [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 678

Michael Sandel’s Objections to Utilitarianism

The moral and intellectual pleasures were considered to be "highest pleasures", and the experiences, that caused satisfaction of flesh were considered to be "lower pleasures". The pleasures of the majority, in that case, are considered [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 593

Epictetus and Epicurus

It is possible for one to live in a state of tranquility or ataraxia when one limited oneself to the necessary and natural things of life.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1405

Act Utilitarianism and Virtue Ethics: Pros and Cons

Therefore, act utilitarianism is better than virtue ethics since it is clear, concise, and focuses on the majority. Virtue ethics' strengths can be utilized to enhance the act-utilitarianism theory.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 641

Significance of Emotions in Aristotle’s Philosophy

Additionally, the philosopher distinguishes two moralities, each with its interpretation of the cognitive role of emotions: a civic morality of judicial process in the Nicomachean Ethics and a contemplative ethics of theoretical study in Politics.
  • Pages: 13
  • Words: 3723

The Difference Between Act and Rule Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism emerged as a systematic theory at the end of the eighteenth century with the philosophical works of Jeremy Bentham, who created the "greatest happiness of the greatest number" formulation of the principle of utilitarianism.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1217

Virtuous Behavior Constituents

For an action to be considered virtuous, it must originate from an individual and be in the self-interest of whoever is claiming to be virtuous.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 563

Consequentialism and Deontology

In deontology, the outcomes and consequences may not justify the means to achieve a goal, while in consequentialism, the results determine the means, and significant benefit is expected for the greatest possible number of people.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1168

Care Ethics: Role of Feelings and Reason

The ethics of care recognizes that human beings are dependent for the most part of their lives and dependent people have a pressing moral claim to care in order to live and progress.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 650

Professional and Business Ethics: Basic Issues

Kant's second formulation encourages people to treat each other with respect and not to make use of each other because a person is to be valued and not the things he or she can do [...]
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2598

Philosophy of Human Conduct

The aim of the paper is to reveal the nature of human conduct from the philosophical point of view. That is why, the nature of human conduct is a difficult aspect of a human being.
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2329

Euthyphro: Concept of Holiness and Piety

According to Burrington, Socrates was to attend a court hearing in which Meletus accused him of distracting the attention of young people from believing in the gods that the state religion recognized.
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  • Words: 1668

Ethics of Emergencies: Ayn Rand’s View

For example, if you are faced with a gang of hoodlums who want to kill you and the only option you have is killing one of them to escape, then the "ethics of emergencies" allow [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 648

Utilitarianism: Principles and Assumptions

The philosopher argues that the accomplishment of the goal of solving the cases of stress must be based on an individual's pleasure and actions that promote happiness. For instance, Bentham argues that the chain of [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 555

Aristotle’s Ethics Conception and Workplace Relations

Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is one of the ethical writings that have spurred understanding of ethics of work place relations. A critical discussion in the Nicomachean Ethics provided by Aristotle is the argument and conversation over [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1928

Utilitarian Analysis and Stakeholder Analysis

In this case, the happiness of the customers and that of John count the same. On the other hand, the stockholders who own the company are in pursuit of profits and anything that acts contrary [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1510

Aristotle Philosophical Perspective

To understand the connection established by Aristotle between a good life and a rational one, it is first necessary to discuss the concept of good used in the Nicomachean Ethics.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1693

Philosophy of Moral Theories Compare and Contrast

Kant's moral system is anchored on morality and therefore goes ahead to explain that a rational human being would easily adapt to universal moral laws and use them as a basis of determining what is [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2290

The Natural Law Theory in Ethics

Raley claims that the origins of the Natural Law Theory can be found in the writings of Aristotle and his idea of teleology or the evaluation of purpose.
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Five Relations of Confucianism

The weakness of this doctrine is that the happiness of the people is in the hands of the ruling class, which tends to default and exploit ordinary people.
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  • Words: 892

Bioethics and the Divine Command Theory

According to the Divine Command Theory, a character is ultimately based on the instructions or nature of God, and the course of behavior that God demands, or commands is morally right.
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  • Words: 1471

Divine Morality: Is Morality from God?

Therefore, the existence of morality is courtesy of the presence of religion. The urgency of religion on moral guidance and the correctness of actions is a dilemma.
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  • Words: 1118

Aristotle’s Idea of Justice: Analysis

The benefit of justice, according to Aristotle, is an individualized virtue based on the character of justice. According to Machiavelli, he puts justice in front of a just man, and a just man comes before [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 680

Christian Ethics and Kantianism

In objective or religious morality, the breaking of moral norms or their ordering is less possible because this threatens the meaning of the existence of humankind and the person or their afterlife.
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  • Words: 675

Deontology and Utilitarianism: Comparative Analysis

The idea of the purpose justifying the means is central to utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is dependent on consequentiality since it asserts that the most moral thing to do is to use happiness for the benefit of [...]
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  • Words: 308

Kant’s Universalizing Formulation

The formulation could justify itself; namely, the invocation of the general will of all humans guarantees the consistency and applicability of the thesis.
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  • Words: 429

Kantian Ethics and Causal Law for Freedom

The theory's main features are autonomy of the will, categorical imperative, rational beings and thinking capacity, and human dignity. The theory emphasizes not on the actions and the doers but the consequences of their effects [...]
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2538

Human Cloning and Kantian Ethics

The current paper will define the issue of human cloning through the prism of Kantian ethics and support the idea of reproductive cloning being a contravention of human dignity and fundamental biological principles.
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  • Words: 870

Pico Della Mirandola’s Thoughts on Human Dignity

Freedom is revealed in the course of a person's search for their place in the world, the formation of individuality, and the creation of oneself, as well as at the moment when a person is [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 315

Relativity of Ethical Beliefs in Non-Christian Students

The implausibility of the opinion of non-Christian students about the relativity of ethical beliefs is confirmed by its subjectivity, the correctness of each ethical belief, and the impossibility of their criticism.
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  • Words: 258

Care Ethics Theory and Its Analysis

She claims that care ethics should include the emotional context in moral guidelines, not only traditional pure reasons of Kantian Imperative and Utilitarianism. Next, public and private spheres and moral behaviors that are appropriate are [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 295

Ethical and Psychological Egoism

While ethical egoism focuses on self-interest and disregarding the interests of others, psychological egoism is centered around actions or behavior that can bring benefits.
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  • Words: 282

The Value of Ethics: What Does It Mean to Be Ethical?

The ethics of Confucianism proclaims the supremacy of good over evil, the peculiar moral law of which is humanity, philanthropy, humanity, reverence for relatives and elders, courtesy, and devotion to the state.
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  • Words: 881

Ethics of Security Measures in the Netherlands

Notably, independence of TIB is guaranteed because it is comprised of three-people who are appointed in consultation of the National Ombudsman, the Vice-President of the Council of State and the President of the Supreme Court.
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2266

The Utilitarian Theory and Its Major Downsides

I knew that I risk my energy level the day after; still, my friend lives in another country and we have not seen each other for 7 years: these facts were convincing enough to take [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 343

Socrates’ Claim “Morality Is Objective”

People's moral beliefs of what is good and what is bad is a construction of the knowledge that was obtained from other people of the same society as children learning from the parents.
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Particularism in the Context of Moral Dilemmas

This approach is titled particularism, and, in the current essay, I attempt to justify this principle in the context of moral dilemmas and demonstrate how this perspective expands the ethical understanding of the subject.
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  • Words: 1431

Aristotelian Ethical Thinking Evaluation

Aristotle, one of the most noticeable Ancient Greek philosophers, has made a great contribution to the studies of ethics both as a discipline and a way of life.
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  • Words: 310

Ayer’s Key Argument Against Ethical Objectivism

This is considered as the way a particular feeling or notion is portrayed The recommendation of action to another person is not an ethical thing to be performed in that this has to totally embrace [...]
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  • Words: 563

Kantian Ethics Definition and Description

The idea of humanity forms the second approach to the categorical imperative and it indicates that people should treat each other as ends and not as means to an end.
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Mill’s Contribution to Ethical Theory & Significance

This presupposition forms the basis of Mill's principle of utility, which suggests that an action is acceptable if and only if the outcomes of that particular action are as fulfilling as those of any other [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 860

Philosophy of Forgiveness

I believe that if anyone had gone through all the pain and horror that Simon had, and was asked to forgive Karl, the instinct, and most humane reaction at that moment would be to strongly [...]
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  • Words: 886

Deontological Ethics and Morality

According to the theory, moral ethics should enable members of society to attain happiness. Finally, moral ethics should also provide room for improvement to nurture the desired behaviors in society.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 590

Kant’s and Mill’s Moral Theories

The other option would be not to hit the criminal with the machete. On the other hand, if the woman employs Kant's theory, it would be immoral to kill the rapist by attacking him with [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 821

Bentham’s Utilitarian Theory of Value

Utilitarianism is a moral hypothesis postulating that a suitable strategy focuses on the general good of the majority in society. The difference between the two forms of utilitarianism is thus rooted in a distinction concerning [...]
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  • Words: 631

Models of Ethical Decisions

Given the intense rivalry between the two brothers on who to donate the kidney to the ailing dad, and the chilling revelation of their mother on the paternity of the younger brother, it is convenient [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1433

Kant and Singer on Morals

This means that before engaging in an action against a human or a nonhuman, it is proper to consider the interests and include them in the calculus of rightness.
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  • Words: 764

Moral and Rules: Comparison and Contrast

In most cases, people evaluated their moral conduct concerning rules; conduct is considered to be moral if it is by rules and wrong if it is against the rule.
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  • Words: 1450

Modern Science: Issues Posing Ethical Concerns

More than thirty years ago, one of the most interesting philosophers of the twentieth century, Hans Jonas, discussing the problems of the experiments on human, outlined the necessity to limit the appetites of "number-hungry research [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1371

Kant’s Opinion on Morality

Kant basis his principles of moral ethics on rational procedures and distinguishes the concept of duty from the "self and others" asserting that all actions must be performed only out of a sense of duty [...]
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  • Words: 582

The Golden Principle of Ethics and Its Arguments

It is on such a basis that this paper observes the various aspects of this very important principle in morality and its influence on the various systems and ecologies in the lives of humanity as [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 2716

Aristotle’s – The Ethics of Virtue

Ethics is not a theory of discipline since our inquiry as to what is good for human beings is not just gathering knowledge, but to be able to achieve a unique state of fulfillment in [...]
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  • Words: 598

Act Utilitarianism: Term Definition

The theory advocates for actions that bring a large amount of pleasure and little pain to the majority of the people or rather the course of actions that maximize happiness and minimize pain by considering [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1949

Moral Being and Vicious Individual by Kant

This, therefore, means that any moral being is allowed by Kant's moral reasoning to enter into a relationship with an individual based on the goodwill of the individual rather than the vicious nature he is [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2205

Foundations and Concepts of Ethical Relativism

Ethical relativism has to be based on the overall ideas of the individual and it has to be intrinsic such that all the necessary changes or the responsibilities can be adhered to.
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Ethical Systems According to Different Authors

The Republic explains the plan of the Euthydemus: to reveal and clarify the matters of good. Understanding is, questionably, significant and adequate for the regulation of motive in the spirit.
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Kant’s Ethical Theory: Rational and Free Choices

Another theory that Kant criticized is the view of Baumgarten wherein it states that God is the author and the legislator of all the natural obligations because HE was the one who made the world.
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Kant’s Deontological Ethics Review

Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals underlines that autonomy acts as the link between the analysis of morality and the moral will and free will.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1862

Ethical Philosophy: Moral Relativism

The idea that man is inherently selfish and is motivated only by his fundamental needs is not a new one. The idea is that any act of a human being requires some basic motivational factor.
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  • Words: 681

Ethical Egoism vs. Altruism Theory

In philosophy, egoism is the theory that one is self is or should be; the motivation of one's action. This divergence can be explained further using the following features of the concept of ethical egoism: [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1294

Socrates and the Root of Evil

The philosopher's inquiry into the nature of human morality was closely tied to the examination of how one could live his or her life in the most fulfilling manner.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 911
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