Ethical Systems Ethical Formalism. What Is Good Essay

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Ethical Systems

Ethical formalism. What is good is that which conforms to the categorical imperative. This is the ethical system of Immanuel Kant, which is normative and deontological. It is a universal ethic that asserts every person is to be treated with equal dignity and respect rather than as an object or a means to an end. A truly moral action is motivated by good will, not because the individual doing the good deed expects "payment, wants a return favor, or for any reason other than a good will," while immoral actions to achieve moral or ethical ends are not permitted (Pollock, 2006, p. 27). Ethical formalism could not support unjust laws that violated basic human rights because these "run counter to the categorical imperative that each person must be treated as an end rather than as a means, and to the universalism principle" (Pollock, p. 65). This is the ethical view that comes close to my own because it is universal and respects the fact that all persons have equal rights and dignity, but also rejects the extremes of egotism or the belief that human beings are just self-interested atoms with no sense of social obligations.

Utilitarianism. What is good is that which results in the greatest utility for the greatest number. This ethical system is teleological and consequentialist in that it also considers the goal or the purpose of an action as justifying the means, and in this case the purpose is the general welfare of society and the good of the majority.

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One of its leading proponents was Jeremy Bentham, whose view of human nature was that individuals always sought to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. Unlike ethical formalists, utilitarians are permitted to carry out evil acts such as assassinating a tyrant if it serves the greater good of humanity or society. Utilitarian ethics might support an unjust action by the state, such as the internment of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War, if the "total utility derived from internment outweighed the negative effect it had on the Japanese-Americans who lost their land and liberty," such as protecting the country from an invasion, sabotage and espionage (Pollock, p. 66).

Religion. What is good is that which conforms to God's will. A completely normative and deontological system of morality, which can be based on the Bible, religious authorities, individual conscience, or the Golden Rule of 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you'. God's law may be absolutist or situational, and in the latter case, necessary evils in order to achieve a greater good, which is similar to utilitarianism (Pollock, p. 33). In the case of unjust and immoral laws, such as persecution of minorities, the "religious ethical framework would probably not provide moral support for the action because it runs contrary to some basic Christian principles," although in the past Christians have indeed persecuted Jews and other religious minorities (Pollock, p. 65)

Natural law. What is good is that which is natural. This is a normative and deontological ethical system.....

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