TRADITIONAL

THEORIES

PRESENTED BY:
ABHISHEK SINGH
AKHIL
SRIiVAaSTAVA
GULAM sarwar
NUPUR SINHA
POOJA GUPTA
 A decision is ethical if it is:

 Right- morally right

 Good- brings good for all concerned

 Equitable- just & equal

 Proper- appropriate & acceptable

 Fair- Honest

 Just- justice is done

• Ethics is unstructured
Ethics

Moral standards

Value system

Background & childhood experience

• Ethics express some obligation to others

 Relativism

Relativism is the theory that holds that morality is relative to the norms of one's
culture. That is, whether an action is right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the
society in which it is practiced.

The same action may be morally right in one society but be morally wrong in another.
For the ethical relativist, there are no universal moral standards -- standards that can be
universally applied to all peoples at all times. The only moral standards against which a
society's practices can be judged are its own.

If ethical relativism is correct, there can be no common framework for resolving moral
disputes or for reaching agreement on ethical matters among members of different
societies.
 Teleological ethics

The Greek word telos means goal, end, or purpose, and teleology is the study of
goals, ends and purposes.

“Teleological theories hold that rightness or wrongness of action is always

determined by its tendency to produce certain consequences which are intrinsically
good or bad”.

• Teleological ethics deals with consequentialism. It is associated with

utilitarianism, ethical egoism and other goal based approaches to
consequentialism.

• These theories emphasize on goals and ends in determining moral quality of

conduct and character. It refers to the rightness of actions or moral ‘values of
character. It uses ends and goals to justify virtues and actions.
 Features of Teleological Theories
1. It gives priority to what is ‘good’ over what is ‘right’. Good is the purpose or goal of
human actions. Human actions should bring greatest happiness for greatest
number of people.

2. All actions that contribute to ‘good’ are moral actions. An action that brings
happiness for the greatest number of people, is a right action

3. Results or consequences determine the rightness ; or wrongness of moral actions.

 One of the important teleological theories is that of consequentialism.

“Consequentialism, thus, focuses on best consequences of Our actions for all concerned.
It holds that makes an action right or wrong is its consequences only. This theory
became popular in the 18th century.”
 Forms of Consequentialism (Consequential Theories)
 Theory of ethical egoism :
In this form of consequentialism, the desired is the long-term self-interest 0f the individual.
It claims that while making a moral decision one should consider the long term self –
interest of the decision. Short-term Short-tenn self. interest, if any, should be sacrificed for
sake of long-term self-interest. · An action is morally right if the consequences of that
action are more favorable than unfavorable. Only to the agent performing that action.
 Utilitarianism:
In this form of consequentialism, the desired end is not long-term self-interest of the
individual but, it is greatest happiness to the greatest number. Any action that brings
greatest happiness to the greatest number of people is a desirable action and should be
performed. Advocates of this thinking are Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.

Jeremy Bentham and Johan Stuart Mill were the famous utilitarianist who asserted that
actions should be judged on the basis of the amount of pleasure they produce on all those
who are affected by those actions.
What Are We Weighing When We Consider
Teleological Arguments?

Pleasure
Happiness Pain
Unhappiness Benthan

Mill
 Bentham’s Approach to Utilitarianism

 Bentham advocates adopting an action that brings happiness or pleasure to

the community rather than an individual. He judges pleasure by quantity. One
action is better than the other if, it brings more happiness or pleasure than the
other. He says that pleasure can be measured by its intensity, duration,
certainty or uncertainty.

 In determining whether an action is moral or not, the ‘intention of the doer’

and ‘consciousness of consequences’ need to be taken into account.
Consequences can be both primary and secondary.

 For example, non payment of tax by ‘A’ resulting in loss to the State revenue is
primary consequence of A’s action. If this leads to nonpayment of tax by others
also causing mere harm to State exchequer, A’s action is assumed to have
secondary consequences which are, in fact, doing more harm to State
exchequer.
 Limitations of the approach

Bentham’s theory has the following limitations-

 All actions are not followed by pleasures. A soldier’s action to join army is
because of his ideals and not pleasant consequences.

 He, more or less talks of quantitative pleasures. Many qualitative factors that
affect moral actions are not taken into account.
 Mill’s Approach to Utilitarianism

J.S. Mill, a political thinker, published his work ‘Utilitarianism’ in 1863,

 He said that pleasures differ in quantity as well as quality. Some pleasures are
more desirable than others. Man should pursue those actions whose pleasures
are noble and dignified. He said,
“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied.”
 He views morality as internal and not external. Morality regards pleasures and
pains of others and not just one’s own self. It is the desire to be in unity with
others.
 The principle of utility as outlined by John Stuart Mill is that one is obligated
morally to produce the greatest good for the greatest number. Mill identified
the good with utility. In calculating whether an action is right or wrong one
needs to project the total consequences for good or ill and determine the
actions in which it is optimized according to situation.
Teleology and ethics

Teleology informs the study of ethics.

Business ethics

Businessmen commonly think in terms of purposeful action as in, for example,

management by objectives. Teleological analysis of business ethics leads to consideration
of the full range of stakeholders in any business decision, including the management, the
staff, the customers, the shareholders, the country, humanity and the environment.

Medical ethics

Teleology provides a moral basis for the professional ethics of medicine, as doctors are
generally concerned with outcomes and must therefore know the telos of a given
treatment paradigm.
 Deontology theory of ethics

Deontology is a theory of ethics advocated by philosophers such as Kant, Ross and

John Rawls.

 This theory considers actions to be right or wrong regardless of their

consequences. Actions that have moral values are right; whether or not they are
good. If telling lies is morally wrong; it remains wrong even if it brings
happiness to same people. Actions are, thus, right or wrong depending on
whether they are morally right or wrong. Irrespective of their consequences.
What is ‘right’ has priority over what is ‘good’.

 Deontology is derived from the Greek word ‘deon’, which means obligation or
duty. It stresses on what is obligatory and what one ought to do, whether or not
it is good to do so. Speaking truth may not bring good to some but, one must
speak the truth as it is the moral duty of each good to some but, one must
Speak the truth.
There are two approaches to deontology:

1. Act deontology- For example. ‘In this not break my promise’ is an obligation
that represents act deontology.
2. Rule deontology-It claims that obligations and moral duties can be generalized.
For example, ‘we must always keep our promises’ is all obligation that represents
rule deontology. These values, actions or duties are fundamental and do not
depend upon circumstances of particular situations. Actions are performed
according to to rules and not circumstances.

Kant says that result and consequences should not guide our actions. Our actions
should follow the moral law.
According to Ross, we should all follow our moral duties regardless of their
consequences. ;. One moral principle can be sacrificed only for another moral
principle:
Johan Rawls says that fairness is prior to goodness. Fairness of society’s rules is
more important than consequences of their rules.
 DEONTOLOGICAL ETHICAL SYSTEM

 Rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by its morality and not

its consequences.

 Prominent thinkers are Kant, - Ross and Rawls

 They give priority to ‘right’ over . Good’ .

 Right action may not necessarily maxi mise the good.

 Right actions may , or may not , bring happiness.

 They are the theories of ethics duty and obligation.

 Teleological Theories at a glance

 Rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by its consequences.

, Prominent thinkers are Bentham and J.S. Mill

 They give priority to ‘good’ over ‘right’.

 Right action is that which maximizes the good.

 Right actions bring happiness to individuals performing the action

(egoist theory) or happiness to greatest number of people
(utili1arianism) .

 They are the theories of ethics that deal with goals and end results of
actions.
 Hybrid Theories

“God thought if I will create a world based on attribute of mercy alone then
sinners will greatly multiply. And if based on attributes of justice alone then
how could the world endure…… so did, the almighty, created a world based
on both the attributes.”
- Judean Holy book