normative ethics is a study of ethics and asks: what are the practical and rational means to determine what is right?
here are the three categories of normative ethics
consequentialism
the morality of an action is dependent on the outcome or result. A morally right action is one that produces a good consequence.
consequentialism looks at the outcome of a situation and derives ethics from that outcome
utilitarianism
utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory that says that the best actions are the ones that maximize utility, defined by Jeremy Bentham as the sum of all pleasure that results from an action, minus the suffering of anyone involved in the action All peoples’ interests are considered equal.
it doesn’t’ matter if your the person who is negatively affected by the action, but creates a way better outcome for other people, then you should still do it - this is all about net outcome
if we are using utilitarianism, some pretty silly things happen…
if you had 5 patients that need organs immediately transplanted in order to save their lives, you can grab anyone and steal their organs because, haha, 5 lives over 1!
deontology
deontology judges actions by themselves and not about the consequences
it is about duty and notions based on ‘rules’ i.e. that there is an obligation to perform the ‘right’ action, regardless of actual consequences
a deontologist would say that you should follow the rules and “do the right thing”, even if it might not lead to best consequences (always telling the truth, never stealing, never killing)
categorical imperative
Kant’s categorical imperative is a deontological concept which is an absolute, unconditional requirement that must be obeyed in all circumstances and is justified and an end in itself
if an action is okay if everyone in the world does it, then it would be considered universally ethical
virtue ethics
the right action will be that chosen by a suitably ‘virtuous’ agent
a good person is one who acts well according to their character
Aristotle showed the importance of developing a virtuous character to do the right thing at the right time and in the right way
virtue ethics takes intention and purpose of actions into account, labelling good as actions that are seen as appropriately reacting to a given situation
| trait | deficiency | golden mean | excess |
|---|---|---|---|
| courage | cowardice | bravery | recklessness |
| greed | greediness | charity | wastefulness |
| deceitfulness | deceitfulness | truthfulness | brutal honesty |
| trust | skepticism | gullibility | |
| conscientiousness | carelessness | vigilance |