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469 BCE
Socrates (469-399 BC)
One of the greatest paradoxes that helped his students explore was whether weakness of will – doing wrong when you genuinely knew what was right – truly existed. He seemed to think otherwise: people only did wrong when at the moment the perceived benefits seemed to outweigh the costs. Hence, the development of personal ethics is mastering what he called “the art of measurement,” correcting the distortions that skew one’s analyses of benefit and cost. -
428 BCE
PLATO (428-348 BC)
Ethics is referred to as a concern to act rightly and live a good life. Plato’s main concern is to challenge the views most people have about goodness, for it is here that they go disastrously wrong in trying to live happy lives. Most people think that virtue is a minor good, or even an impediment to living a happy life. Plato considers this to be incorrect; it is only by being virtuous that we can hope to be happy. -
384 BCE
Aristotle (384-322 BC)
The ethics of Aristotle is concerned with action, not as being right in itself irrespective of any other consideration, but with actions conducive to man’s good. Aristotle sets himself to discover what this good is and what the science corresponding to it is. (Copleston, 1993). -
Moral Positivism
Hobbes’ moral positivism anticipates the chaotic outcome if laws are not abided. We all believe that the purpose of the government is to protect the rights of its people, preserve justice and enforce the laws. It is a must for every nation to have someone who would manage and administer them. -
UTILITARIANISM
The utilitarian ethics is best explained by the maxim, “Do whatever produces the greatest good for the greatest number.” The theory argues that what makes an act right is its consequences and not the
motive of the action. The effects or consequences determine the goodness or badness of an action. An act is good if and when it gives good results, if it works, if it makes you successful, and if it makes you attain your purpose. Otherwise, it is bad.
