We’re approached with choices in our everyday lives. Whether the decisions we make are correct or not depends on us and our own personal ethical theories we live by. We might not even consciously be aware of what theory that might be, but we all have our own way of handling our moral dilemmas that often roots back to the same theories that some of our ancestors followed as well. So which ethical theory do you think best fits the way you live your life?
Are you a Utilitarian?
Utilitarianism is one of the most influential theories. The core idea is that whether an action is morally right or wrong depends on the outcomes. Utilitarians believe that the purpose of morality is to make life better by increasing the amount of good things like pain and happiness and lessening pain and unhappiness. A utilitarian believes the best decision is one that promotes good for the greatest amount of people. For example, let’s say a hospital has a limited supply of drugs and they need to choose between treating a child or an intelligent scientist with the potential to discover something that could benefit society, it would be morally correct to treat the scientist.
Are you an Egoist?
In philosophy, egoism is the theory that one’s self should be the motivation of one’s own actions. It implies that whenever the individual is faced with two choices, they will always choose the one that benefits them the most. Egoism has two variants, descriptive and normative. Descriptive egoism, known as psychological egoism, implies that it’s in human nature to act in selfish ways and those selfish desires are uncontrollable. Whereas, normative egoism, known as ethical egoism, indicates that people should always do what benefits them because it’s morally right.
Are you a Deontologist?
Deontology is the approach that focuses on duty and the morality of humans. In deontology, an action is considered moral because of part of the action itself, not necessarily the outcome. Deontologists believe that some acts are morally necessary, regardless of the impact they have on human welfare. For example, if a deontologist passes a homeless person on the street begging for help, they might give him or her money to offer help. The money received by the beggar might enable the homeless man to buy drugs or alcohol, which in turn is a bad result, but the action or giving the money is considered morally good.
These certainly don’t cover every philosophy many of us live by, and we might even have different variations of each ethical theory we choose to follow. But one thing is certain, the theory we do live by is a direct factor of the outcomes in our life, which makes your path of life different than your those around you.
