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400 BCE
Virtue Ethics - Introduced in the West by Plato and Aristotle in 4th century B.C. and was introduced by Mencius and Confucius in the East
For the Greeks, virtue is equivalent to excellence. The key point of this ethic centers on the moral character which is in contrast to the approach of the other ethics since goodness does not stem from the individual himself. Herein, action is done because it is benevolent, not because it gives pleasure or that it is what should be done in accordance to the rules. Confucius also believed that everything under heaven would eventually become humane when kindness is put into practice. -
Rights Ethics - John Locke
Locke made significant contributions to the development of liberalism. He believed that everyone is equal since we are born with natural rights to our liberty, property, and to our lives. Herein, the society itself or the legal system distinguishes which rights should be upheld for the good of the citizen and all rights are considered to be ethically correct as long as they are acknowledged by the state. Locke also added that rulers who fail to protect those rights may be removed by the people. -
Deontological Ethics - Immanuel Kant
"Let justice be done though the heaven falls"
This ethic is otherwise known as "rule-based ethics"; this encompasses rules that distinguish right from wrong and that an individual should adhere to their duties and obligations. Kant believed that ethical actions follow universal moral laws. -
Utilitarianism - Jeremy Bentham
This philosophy aims for the betterment of the society as a whole by advocatings actions that result to happiness. However, the setback of this ethic is that it disregards the conventional view of justice as long as what an individual does causes him pleasure.
