Ethical theories:

Introduction:

Ethical behavior is that behavior which is morally right and also that behavior which folks accept as great behavior, traditionally philosophers came up with theories that help define and decide morally right behavior some of the traditional ethical theories consist of the virtue theory, the Kantian theory, the Deontological theory and the  Utilitarianism theory, this theories depict morally appropriate behavior and this paper discusses every theory regarding its relevance to the real world and also how these theories can be utilized to solve difficulties.

Ethical theories

The Virtue Theory

This theory focuses on the defined rules and laws that govern behavior, this theory lay emphasis on the processes of understanding these rules and by means of this an individual will develop very good behavior, individuals will find out through moral education which is acquired when an individuals still young. This theory is one of the oldest normative theories and can be dated back to the function of Plato who emphasized the four virtues which consist of courage, temperance, wisdom and justice, Plato also identified other essential virtues that contain generosity, very good temper self respect and sincerity, this theory further emphasis on discouraging bad behavior such as injustice, insensitivity, cowardice and vanity.

The virtue theory analysis human behavior guidance concerning correct behavior, it accounts for moral excellent behavior for example individuals will discover from religious teachings the guidance of very good behavior, the Christians understand from the Bible that 1 really should not kill, 1 need to not steal, you really should not steal and many other teachings, this teachings are learnt when one is still young as stated by the virtue theory.

This theory may be utilized to solve problems in the workplace in that it gives guidelines to what can be termed as excellent behavior and poor behavior, for example when 1 is faced with a scenario which demands that you give false statement in the workplace, then this guidelines from the virtue theory depict that you ought to not lie or give false statements simply because lies are shortlived although the truth will last for ever.

Kantian theory

This theory was developed by Kant Immanuel, this theory states that if an action is inconsistent with a persons status which is to be free and rational then the action is morally wrong, also he stated that an action that further the status of an individual in terms of his or her status of being free of charge and rational then the action is morally correct. Therefore according to the Kantian ethical theory an action that promotes an individuals freedom and rationality is morally appropriate and that which tends to deteriorate or undermine his freedom and rationality is morally wrong.

This theory nonetheless does not demonstrate what guides moral behavior in our lives today, to some extent this theory guides moral behavior whilst to significant extend it does have a basis of guiding behavior, for example people are rational and have the freedom in order to be morally proper, a person will act according to his requirements and be rational in all that his does which may result to immoral behavior.

This theory even so can be employed to solve issues in workplaces or in the individual level when faced with particular situations, the individual for example could be faced by a scenario whereby he is has monetary problems an at the very same time he is entrusted with an organizations funds, for him to be rational he has to be rational and this theory depicts that he should be rational and also have freedom, consequently the individual will embezzle this funds according to this theory whilst in the actual world this is morally wrong.

Deontological theory

This theory depict that individuals have a duty to refrain from actions that this duty will be determined by the nature of the action itself, as a result individuals ought to perform their duties regardless of the consequences, people have a duty to refrain from poor behavior and the poor behavior will be determined by the nature of the action.

This theory depict actual life situations whereby people will refrain from bad behavior as a duty they need to undertake, when a person is faced with a situation in which he has an alternative no matter whether to commit a morally wrong action and a morally write action then it is critical that the individual comprehend that his duty is to refrain from bad behavior.

This theory can be applied to a situation in life where a person is faced with the option of performing wrong or right, according to this theory the individual has the duty to refrain from such bad behavior, and the individual need to refrain from poor behavior regardless of the consequences of his actions.

Utilitarianism theory:

The Utilitarianism theory was developed by Bentham Jeremy, this theory states that the morally right actions are those that produce most happiness, as a result morally appropriate actions are those actions maximize happiness and at the very same time reduce pain, as a result people really should usually pick those actions that maximize their happiness and at the identical time lessen pain in the trigger of their action.

This theory is consistent with actual life scenarios whereby this theory can be employed to solve difficulty faced by people or in the workplace, it states that we must be rational in the actions we undertake, we maximize benefits and at the very same time minimize the costs of actions, the advantages give us happiness even though expenses give us discomfort, therefore the individual when faced by certain issues whereby he calls for to pick which action to undertake then he must analyze the advantages and the costs or consequences of such situations.

In the actual world we have rules that govern behavior, when one breach these rules there are sanctions associated with this bad behavior, this sanctions as a result can be viewed as the pain according to this theory, the rewards are the positive sanctions such as rewards given as a result of excellent behavior or morally correct behavior. This theory therefore is relevant in explaining the situation in the real world concerning morally correct behavior.

Conclusion:

All the above philosophical theories concerning ethical behavior are relevant in the real world and they can be employed to solve circumstances which individuals face in their day to day life, morally right behavior is that behavior which maximizes happiness and minimizes cost according to the Utilitarianism theory, this view is also supported by theKantian theory which states that morally correct behavior is that which promotes rationality and freedom. We also have a duty to refrain from morally wrong behavior as stated by the Deontological theory.

References:

John Mackie (1977) Ethics: Inventing Proper and Wrong, Penguin publishers, New York

Immanuel Kan (1985) Metaphysics of Morals, Penguin publishers, New York

Stephen Darwall (2002) Consequentialism, Blackwell publishers, Oxford

Samuel Scheffler (1994) A Philosophical Investigation of the Considerations Underlying Rival Moral Conceptions, Oxford University Press, Oxford

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