| How ought we to live our lives?
1) Skepticism: Ethically right action cannot be known or one can have degrees of probability that some action is ethically right.
a) Partial: Truth cannot be known.
b) Complete: Everything admits of doubt.
2) Relativism: Ethically right action varies from person to person, or culture to culture.
a) Protagorean: Each person is his own best measure of what is right for him.
b) Cultural: Each culture is its own best judge of what is ethically right for it.
3) Universalism: Ethically right action is universal and discoverable through reason.
a) Virtue Ethics (Intentionalist and Circumstantialist): Right action is undergirded by ethical principles, but determined by circumstances.
b) Utilitarianism (Outcome-Oriented): Right action is that which maximizes the human good, pleasure, or happiness for the greatest number of persons, so long as each person is considered to be no more than one.
c) Deontology (Intentionalist): Ethically right action is action done not just in conformity with, but also from a duty to observe universally recognized principles.
4) Egoism: Each person ought to strive to maximize his own wellbeing. |
