Ethical theories play an exceptionally pivotal role in people’s daily lives. This is mainly because the ethical theories form the viewpoints that offer guidance as far as decision making is concerned. In other words, ethical theories are the crucial foundation for ethical solutions to challenging situations that people encounter in the course of executing their duties. It is pertinent to appreciate the fact that each ethical theory prioritizes different points aimed at arriving at ethically correct decisions. This paper explores ethical theories by Kant, Mill, Aristotle and Singer. This paper appreciates the fact that all ethical theories come with different sets of shortcomings. Nevertheless, the paper argues in favor of Mill’s ethical theory
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It is the most correct ethical theory mainly because it emphasizes the significance of overall human happiness. Mill’s ethical theory, therefore, pays exceptional attention to the repercussions of actions as opposed to focusing on ethical sentiments. Just like the case with Aristotle and Kant’s ethical theories, Mill also conceives of morality as the pursuit for highest good. Mill’s definition of the highest good is happiness, which is solely understood as pleasure and absence of pain. It is worth appreciating the fact that for Kant and Aristotle, the emphasis does not necessarily rest on an action’s consequences. However, Mill’s ethical theory suggests that the implications of an action are of extraordinary significance. Mill’s theory is considerably influential mainly because it admits that duty is not the only motive for people’s actions. Mill’s ethical theory is exceptionally favorable since it enables individuals to independently evaluate different situations independently. According to the theory, rules of conduct in any society are open to interpretation depending on varying factors in life. As a result of this, Mill’s theory effectively points out that no action is naturally evil and subsequently consistently condemnable (Jacobson, 2003). The theory, therefore, suggests that the consequences of an action play a pivotal role in justifying it as either ethical or unethical. In other words, Mill’s theory categorizes actions as right if they promote happiness and wrong if they facilitate for painful experiences. According to Mill’s ethical theory, a person can be excused for engaging in actions that result in benefiting most people. This is despite the fact that the actions may be contrary to personal feelings or they may go against societal constraints such as laws. However, Mill’s theory is also flawed since it requires individuals to be capable of predicting the
It is the most correct ethical theory mainly because it emphasizes the significance of overall human happiness. Mill’s ethical theory, therefore, pays exceptional attention to the repercussions of actions as opposed to focusing on ethical sentiments. Just like the case with Aristotle and Kant’s ethical theories, Mill also conceives of morality as the pursuit for highest good. Mill’s definition of the highest good is happiness, which is solely understood as pleasure and absence of pain. It is worth appreciating the fact that for Kant and Aristotle, the emphasis does not necessarily rest on an action’s consequences. However, Mill’s ethical theory suggests that the implications of an action are of extraordinary significance. Mill’s theory is considerably influential mainly because it admits that duty is not the only motive for people’s actions. Mill’s ethical theory is exceptionally favorable since it enables individuals to independently evaluate different situations independently. According to the theory, rules of conduct in any society are open to interpretation depending on varying factors in life. As a result of this, Mill’s theory effectively points out that no action is naturally evil and subsequently consistently condemnable (Jacobson, 2003). The theory, therefore, suggests that the consequences of an action play a pivotal role in justifying it as either ethical or unethical. In other words, Mill’s theory categorizes actions as right if they promote happiness and wrong if they facilitate for painful experiences. According to Mill’s ethical theory, a person can be excused for engaging in actions that result in benefiting most people. This is despite the fact that the actions may be contrary to personal feelings or they may go against societal constraints such as laws. However, Mill’s theory is also flawed since it requires individuals to be capable of predicting the