mngt 1

• Ethical Theory:

  • A generalization attempting to explain things "in general"
  • Source: www.quora.com
• Normative Ethics:

  • Study of ethical action
  • Provides a general theory on how people should live and act
  • Focuses on determining the rightness and wrongness of actions
• 3 Types of Normative Ethical Theories:

  1. Virtue Theory (Virtue Ethics)

  • Focuses on the moral character of the person and the virtues they manifest
  • Emphasizes that good characters must be evident in actions
  • Suggests that assisting members to be good people creates a good society

  2. Deontological Theory

  • Focuses on the act being done without regard to consequences
  • Emphasizes the centrality of rules
  • Considers "conscientiousness" as essential

  3. Consequentialist Theory

  • Evaluates the rightness of actions based on their consequences
  • Considers whether the goodness of a thing is instrumental or intrinsic
• Utilitarianism:

  • Also known as Utilitarian Ethics
  • Introduced by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill from England
  • Focuses on producing the greatest good for the greatest number
  • Utilitarian Principle: "do whatever produces the greatest good for the greatest number"
  • Includes the concept of utility, which tends to produce benefit, advantage, pleasure, good, or happiness
• Hedonism:

  • Philosophy of pleasure where something is considered "good" if it produces pleasure or avoids pain
  • According to John Stuart Mill, pleasure has two forms: physical and mental
• Kantianism (Kantian Ethics):

  • Based on the reasons for actions, determining if a person is good or bad
  • Introduced by Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher
  • Focuses on duty-based ethics
  • Includes Categorical Imperatives guiding ethical correctness
• Principles of Justice:

  • Introduced by John Rawls
  • Justice involves giving each person what they deserve
  • Supports equality among everyone
  • Includes types like distributive, compensatory, and retributive justice
• Moral Positivism:

  • Introduced by Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher
  • Believes human beings are selfish and in constant battle for power and wealth
  • States that the basis of all moral laws are laws of the state
• Divine Command Ethics:

  • A principle under the deontological approach
  • Relies on religion to determine moral correctness
  • Based on the assumption of God's character having several qualities
• Ethical Egoism:

  • Introduced by Ayn Rand, a Russian-American writer and philosopher
  • States that promoting one's own good is in accordance with morality
  • Emphasizes achieving one's own happiness without harming others
  • Includes virtues like rationality, independence, integrity, and justice
• Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian essayist, dramatist, historian, sketch writer, biographer, dialogist, writer of novels, and poet.
• The Prince is a political treatise written by Niccolò Machiavelli in 1513.
• Maurizio Viroli wrote and made published his review of the controversial book in his review copy entitled “Redeeming the Prince: The Meaning of Machiavelli’s Masterpiece in 2013