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Confucius (551 B.C.E - 479 B.C.E).
Chinese Philosopher- Confucianism
"Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself."
Confucius developed the belief of Confucianism. Confucianism focuses on a person's ethics and morality. It highlights the importance of having a good moral character as well as being a virtuous person. -
Socrates (470 B.C.E - 399 B.C.E.)
Greek Philosopher- Socratic Method
"The only thing that I know is that I know nothing."
Socrates believed that no one is willfully evil. He argued that everyone wants to do good but is hindered by ignorance. Thus, their lack of knowledge or wisdom is what causes their immoral or unethical actions. -
Plato (428/427 B.C.E. - 348/347 B.C.E.)
Greek Philosopher- Eudaimonia and Arete
"Good people don't need laws to tell them to act responsibly and bad people will find a way around the laws."
Plato believes in a virtue-based eudaemonistic conception of ethics. In other words, he believes that happiness (eudaimonia) is the ultimate goal of morality and that excellence (arete) is needed to attain it. -
Aristotle (384 B.C.E. - 322 B.C.E.)
Greek Philosopher- Virtuous and Eudaimonia
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
According to Aristotle, moral virtues are defined as the Golden Mean between vices. This means that one should act as if they are a virtuous person; they should not be deficient or excessive. -
Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274)
Italian Theologian and Philosopher- Natural Law Theory
"Perfection of moral virtue does not wholly take away the passions, but regulates them."
According to Aquinas, the morally right action is the one that follows the dictates of nature. He believes that an action is right, simply because they are natural, and wrong because they are unnatural. -
Immanuel Kant (April 24, 1724 - February 12, 1804)
German Philosopher- Kantianism
"Do the right thing because it is right."
Immanuel Kant believed that the morally right action is the one that follows the categorical imperative. This means that the action must be something that a person would choose to do in all situations. -
Jeremy Bentham (February 15, 1748 - June 6, 1832)
English Philosopher- Utilitarianism
"The question is not 'Can they reason?' nor 'Can they talk?' but, 'Can they suffer?'"
Jeremy Bentham believed that the morally right action is the one that provides the greatest happiness to the greatest number. -
John Stuart Mill (May 20, 1806 – May 7, 1873)
English Philosopher- Greatest Happiness Principle
"So long as we do not harm others, we should be free to think, speak, act, and live as we see fit."
John Stuart Mill believes that the morally right action produces the greatest aggregate happiness among all sentient beings, within reason. Thus, when given the choice between two or more actions, one should choose the action that contributes most to the total happiness in the world. -
Friedrich Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900) German Philosopher"Without the errors involved in the assumptions of ethics, man would have remained an animal. Thus has he taken himself as something higher and imposed rigid laws upon himself."
Nietzsche believed that humans should be freed from their false perception of morality and that they should instead create their own values and define their own purpose in life. -
Jean-Paul Sartre (June 21, 1905 – April 15, 1980)
French Philosopher- Existenialism
"Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does."
Sartre believed that there is no inherent purpose to life. Instead, it is based on their own meaning and values. However, this freedom comes with great responsibility. Thus, the morally right action is the one that would give you happiness and wouldn't have grave consequences.