Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Ethics - Essay Example Thus, when studying western ethics, it is incredibly important to be able to understand not just one but several ethical codes. Three of the most important ethical codes are virtue theory, deontological ethics, and utilitarianism. Virtue theory is an ethical code that rests on the intrinsic virtues of an individual. This theory has, in some ways, a highly internalized locus of control, and in other ways an externalized one. This is because one can evaluate virtue either on the individual level (meeting one’s own expectations of virtue) or on a societal level (mirroring societal constructs of virtuous behavior). The most important thing about virtue theory is that it is almost completely unrelated to individual action taking (Crisp & Michael, 1997), focusing more on the internal character of a person than background or consequence of actions. Virtue ethics remind me of times in which I try to improve myself for no reason other than being a better person – holding doors open, for example. Deontological ethics differ greatly from virtue ethics on a number of levels. The fundamental idea of deontological ethics is that one must comport one’s self in a method that complies with a set of rules. The origins of these rules can change drastically from philosopher to philosopher, ranging from highly variable understandings of rules as basic obligations to uphold certain philosophical principles, to highly restrictive understanding of rules such as those in moral absolutism, in which certain actions are either considered unambiguously moral or amoral. This philosophy obviously seems prone to an externalized locus of control. This kind of philosophy reminds me of occasions when, as a child, I would behave in a certain way (eating my vegetables, for instance) out of an obligation without necessarily agreeing with that action. The final major mode of ethics discussed in this paper is utilitarian ethics.