Capital punishment is defined as the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as punishment for a serious crime. The ethical question regarding capital punishment is a longstanding one to say the least; nonetheless, it has a relatively simple answer, and is perhaps best answered through the rule utilitarianism model. Rule utilitarianism offers the best choice ...
Euthanasia is defined as the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment. The controversy that surrounds euthanasia has helped make it a serious ethical question that ought to be addressed in a ...
“Utilitarianism,” a moral theory associated with the British philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) among others, holds that the moral rightness or wrongness of an act depends on the total amount of happiness (which is a function of pleasure and pain) contained in its consequences compared to the consequences of any other acts available to the ...
Since the beginning of civilizations, there has been debate as to whether or not capital punishment is right, fair or just plain wrong. This argument is for the use of capital punishment and its necessity in civilizations for a variety of reasons. Capital punishment is the death penalty, when an imprisoned individual is sentenced and ...
When a choice is made, often the question is asked: “was it the right decision?”. For thousands of years, humans have struggled with the idea of the morality of their actions. This has resulted in a multitude of belief systems regarding the nature of actions. In the system of Utilitarianism, the ends justify the means, ...
Nursing homes are very commonplace in America. Here, people often send their parents to live in nursing homes when they get too old to care for themselves. The question that I will be discussing in this essay is whether children have a moral obligation to care for their parents when their parents get too old ...
While the varieties of ethical theories are many, one basic distinction between traditional ethical types is that between duty-based ethics and results-oriented or consequentialist ethics. Duty-based ethics are often called deontological and consequentialist ethics are often labeled as utilitarian. A third variety is virtue-based ethics, which concern themselves with developing character more so than with ...
Peter Singer, a renowned philosopher and professor of bioethics at Princeton University, causes divisive controversy everywhere he goes through his unwavering ethics. He is a fierce supporter of a pure form of utilitarian philosophy, in which we should all strive to achieve the highest collective happiness of all animal life, into our daily lives. He, ...
Three objections John Stuart Mill cites that are commonly used against Utilitarianism are that it is overburdensome, makes one unsympathetic to where actions emanate and is an expedient ideology. Mill states that “They (objectors) say that it is exacting to much to require people should always act from the inducement of promoting the general interestsof ...
Deontological vs. Teleological Ethical Systems Deontological ethical systems are concerned with the nature of an action that is being judged. If the action is considered to be inherently good, even if the action has bad consequences than it can be defined as good. Deontological ethical systems include ethical formalism, religion, and natural law (Pollock, 2004). ...
