Page 15 - Biblical Ethics Course

Various Classes of Ethics Orientation

Deontology
Deontology says that an act is moral if it follows a law or rule. It could be natural law—universally binding upon
all humans by virtue of their existence in the cosmos. The law could be a contract that was entered willingly. Or
the law could be the Word of God. Kantian ethics, developed by Immanuel Kant, insists that it is not enough to
follow a law. One must do so willingly and with good intentions.

Consequentialism
Consequentialism says an act is good if it results in a good situation or consequence. An act is bad if it results in a
bad situation. Consequentialists then try to determine what a "good situation" actually entails, who should
benefit from the good, who should determine the good, and the relevancy of good intentions. This ethics stems
from the philosophy of pragmatism. The Greek Epicureans believed that the behavior that produces the
greatest pleasure should be sought over behavior that results in negative consequences. The greatest good
might be not only for the one practicing the behavior, but those influenced by that behavior.

Ethical Relativism
Ethical relativism disagrees with deontology, saying ethics are not universal. It also disagrees with
consequentialism, insisting that merely striving for a "good" outcome is not actually helpful in determining how
to act. Instead, ethical relativism says that morality is different for different people, cultures, and situations.
What’s right in one situation may not be right in another. This is where Situational Ethics would fall. We will
look into that idea shortly. Sometimes an action is right or wrong – it all depends on the situation.

Virtue Ethics
Aristotle and many of the ancient Greeks thought it best to take our eyes off the action and place them on the
acting agent. Virtue ethics says that an act is good if it is performed by a virtuous person. If someone has a good
character, wisdom about the world, and a fulfilled life, he will naturally act ethically in all he does.

The Application of Ethics in our lives

The fields of applied ethics are fluid, changing depending on the philosopher and the times:

1. Business ethics tries to balance corporate health with employee rights and community interest.
2. Professional ethics compares the needs of the professional with the needs of the client.
3. Biomedical ethics considers such issues as euthanasia, living wills, and universal health care.
4. Organizational ethics shows what a group values beyond the requirements of law.
5. Social ethics debates whether people are primarily citizens of their nation or citizens of the world. 6.
Environmental ethics tries to balance the needs of the environment with the wants and needs of mankind.
7. Sexual ethics considers homosexuality, polygamy, and prostitution.
8. Cybernetics is a relatively new field, investigating the ethical repercussions of information propagation and
the internet.
9. Scientific ethics considers to what extend those in the field of science should perform experimentation on
human cloning and destruction of human embryos.

14