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Ethical Principles - Coggle Diagram
Ethical Principles
Ethical Theories
Deontology
Deontology theory states that people should adhere to their obligations and duties. It provides a basis for special duties and obligations to specific people. One weakness of the theory is that there is no rationale or logical basis for deciding an individual's duties.
Utilitarianism
The Utilitarian Ethical theory is founded on the ability to predict the consequences of action. The choice that brings the greatest benefit to the most people is the best choice that is ethically correct. The two types of utilitarianism are act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism adheres exactly to the definition of the utilitarian ethical theory. In rule utilitarianism, takes into account the law and is concerned with fairness.
Rights
Rights are considered to be ethically correct and valid since a large or ruling population endorses them. They are set by society and are protected given the highest authority. There is an issue on what characteristics make up a right in a society. Society must determine what rights it wants to uphold and give to its citizens. They must align with the goals and priorities of society. Rights need to be used alongside another ethical theory in order for them to be useful.
Casuist
The Casuist ethical theory us one that compares a current ethical dilemma with examples of similar ethical dilemmas and their outcomes. This allows one to determine the severity of the situation and figure out the best solution according to the input and experiences of others. A downfall to this theory is that there may not be a set of similar examples for a given ethical dilemma.
Virtue
The virtue ethical theory judges a person by his character rather than by an action that may deviate from his normal behavior. The person's morals, reputation, and motivation into account when rating an unusual and irregular behavior that is considered unethical. This ethical theory does not take into account a person's change in moral character.
Beneficence
The principle of beneficence guides the ethical theory to do what is good. The priority to do good makes a solution to an ethical dilemma possible and acceptable. It is related to the principle of utility that states we should do what would create less evil in the world.
Least Harm
This situation is similar to "Beneficence", but deals with situations that have no choice that is beneficial. In this instance, one must choose to do the least harm possible and harm the least amount of people. There is also the debate that people have a bigger responsibility to do no harm rather than take steps to benefit others.
Justice
Justice ethics address the need to treat everyone equally without favoritism or bias. Justice dictates he need for equal burden or equal benefit, an impartiality that must be maintained so multiple individuals are treated fairly.
Respect for Autonomy
This principle states that an ethical theory should allow people to reign over themselves and to be able to make decisions that apply to their lives. Meaning people should have control over their lives as much as possible because they are the only ones who completely understand their chosen type of lifestyle. The first way of looking at the respect of autonomy is a paternalistic viewpoint. An authority prioritizes a dependent person's best interests over the dependent person's wishes. The second way is the libertarian view. This standpoint prioritizes he patient's wishes over their best interests. This means that the patient has control over her life and should be content with her quality of life because she has chosen the path of life with the greatest amount of personal beneficence.
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