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What form of ethics do you follow?

Asked by Alrook (200points) December 17th, 2009

I’m just curious as to what form of ethics anyone follows, here is a list of some (the ones that I remember at least…), feel free to make up your own…or mix and match ^_^ (it would probably be best to keep it general though, unless you wish to create a 50 pg paper on ethics).

1) Subjectivist – generally feels there are ethic standards that should be followed, but there are no objective true or false moral ethic views. An example would be a cheetah hunting a gazelle; the cheetah thinking it is both natural and morally correct to kill and consume the gazelle, while the gazelle thinks it is morally unsound and cruel to be killed by the cheetah. (bad example…live with it).

2) Naturalist – ethical/moral concepts are explained or analysed as natural (as in discovered by science). Human psychology is an example of what a naturalist might believe, such as pleasure being a motivator for action (reproduction is done because it is pleasing, otherwise nobody would do it) or avoidance of pain being the result of certain actions being outlawed (no one wants to be killed after-all…I think…).

3) Absolutist – certain actions are right/wrong under any circumstances (killing is wrong, even in the defense of self or loved ones).

4) Consequentialist – right or wrong are determined by effectiveness in obtaining specific (desirable) ends. Utilitarianism is an example of a consequentialist system (Bentham’s idea of ’...greatest happiness of the greatest number’).

5) Objectivist – moral values are true or false depending on how accurately the moral ideal is reflected by the real world. Morality is (metaphysically) real.

6) Non-cognitivist – moral judgment is determined by the person making it (through emotion, attitude), and thus not a matter of knowledge. emotivism is one example (look up the hurrah/boo theory).

7) Deontologist (not demonologist…) – actions are not intrinsically right or wrong and consequences hold no significance, rather, the persons intentions and duties are of greater significance. Kantian ethics is a form of deontology.

I generally fall under the category of naturalist, so which (if any) do you fall under?

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