Timeline of Major Ethical Philosophers along with their Erudite Philosophies

  • SOCRATES
    469 BCE

    SOCRATES

    -One of the most intriguing paradoxes he helped his students investigate was the existence of willpower weakness — doing wrong when you sincerely knew what was right. He appeared to believe otherwise: people only did evil when the perceived benefits seemed to outweigh the costs at the time. As a result, mastering what he called "the art of measurement," rectifying the errors that skew one's analyses of benefit and cost, is central to the formation of personal ethics.
  • Period: 469 BCE to 399 BCE

    SOCRATES

    "No one commits an evil act knowingly and doing wrong arises out of ignorance."
  • PLATO
    428 BCE

    PLATO

    -He is among the greatest philosophers of the world, and is viewed by many scholars as the most important Philosopher of Western civilization. For him, moral values are objective in the sense that they exist in a spirit-like realm beyond subjective human conventions. His major objective 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.
  • Period: 428 BCE to 348 BCE

    PLATO

    "It is only by being virtuous that we can hope to be happy."
  • ARISTOTLE
    384 BCE

    ARISTOTLE

    -In Arabic Philosophy, he was known as "The First Teacher;" in the West, he was "The Philosopher." His predisposition lies upon the fact that most virtues fall at a mean between extreme character traits. Duly, if one is to be decisive in making decisive in making decisions , he must use his reasons or seek assistance from reason or support from reason. Moreover, his principle -- The Golden mean Principle -- can be used in determining and planning for profit in business.
  • Period: 384 BCE to 322 BCE

    ARISTOTLE

    "To be happy, live a life of moderation."
  • MORAL POSITIVISM

    MORAL POSITIVISM

    -Moral positivism is far more than just repudiation of universal, objective, and immutable moral rules. There will always be some shift in standards whenever the good is limited to identifiable norms and not left in a condition of universal inclusion of the wickedness. Hobbes' subjectivity connotes that people would act on their evil impulses if left alone for themselves; therefore, they should not be trusted to make decisions on their own.
  • Period: to

    MORAL POSITIVISM (THOMAS HOBBES)

    "Human beings are basically selfish creatures who would do anything to improve their position."
  • UTILITARIANISM

    UTILITARIANISM

    -Utilitarianism is a moral philosophy that argues for strategies that support satisfaction in life while opposing actions that cause misery or harm. According to utilitarianism, a conduct is right if it leads throughout the wellbeing of the largest number of people in a society or group. Respectively, an act is good if and when it gives good results, if it works, if it makes one successful, and if it makes one attain his or her purpose. Otherwise, it is bad.
  • Period: to

    UTILITARIANISM (JEREMY BENTHAM)

    "Do whatever produces the greatest good for the greatest number."