There are four major ethical theories, which vary greatly from each other, but serve as the

cornerstone of our ethics. The theories are; Utilitarianism, Deontology, Justice and fairness, and

Virtue. Utilitarianism basically states that the right way of things is the way that promotes the most

utility, mostly in the form of the pleasure without the pain, a sort of epicurean way of thought.

Deontology (literally means Duty) is the ethical theory that pertains to duty, it states that we must

own up to our responsibilities, performing a duty, not because of its rewards, but because it is the

right thing to do (Duty for duty’s sake). Justice and fairness essentially means everyone is getting

their own due, what they deserve, it can be very vague as fairness can be different for different

people/situations. Virtue has a lot of meanings to different people, but it always comes down to

one’s character traits,

Ultaritarianism theory states that the best train of action is the one that promotes the most

utility, and while utility can mean many things, though it is mostly coined with the wellbeing of

people and things, pleasure without pain. A very Epicurean theory, The Epicurean happiness

comes from the seeking of pleasure, Epicurus believed that pleasure is innately good, as it leads to

happiness. He believed that something is only right if one can get the most pleasure out of it.

Pleasure can come from many things, like getting married, or conquering a goal etc. basically the

only good is the one that promotes happiness and wellbeing in others. While the theory sounds

very pleasing and desirable, it can have drawbacks, as there are pleasures that can lead to pain (too

much food and alcohol etc.), and the fact that there is almost always a cost to happiness. For

example while capitalism is considered a god thing since it promotes the belief
That anyone can make it in a capitalist society, it can also promote unfairness as the companies

higher up the food chain crush competitions and prevent them from rising to their level of success.

Deontology however addresses the actual act of being in the right and being ethical in a

society. Owning up to our responsibilities and performing our duties, whatever they may be. It

also addresses the moral judgement on a person who does not comply and perform their duties and

or responsibilities. An example of a deontological situation would be a the relationship between a

employer and his employees, the worker cannot shirk his/her duties lest he faces the consequences

in which his or her pays gets docked or they get fired. According to deontology, to act morally is

to act with duty. Deontology is based on the actual act being right and ethical regardless of the

impact on society. A deontological decision is, determined if the act is from sense of duty rather

than self-interest. Since Deontology is based on law and uses pass judgements to decide future

judgements, it still impacts everyone else as to what is morally justice and what must be obeyed.

“Kant” considered this categorical imperative” to be an obligation that a person must perform

based on ethical law. (Brooks 142). Secondly, the act of to perform based on ethical law must be

consistent and universal.

Distributive justice is one of Aristotle’s teachings which states “that equals should treated

equally and unequal’s should be treated unequal in portion to their relevant differences” (Brooks

143). It mainly says that of one is equal (in economic status, health, general wellbeing) then they

should be treated the same, but if their situations are different, then justice is merited out in

different ways. A popular example is if a regular male in is 20’s who is jobless and in economic

distress is arrested for theft, and let’s say the judge gives him 5 years in prison, most would say

that is equal and fair, But if a mother of two, of the same age range is arrested for theft and she
States she is trying to feed her children, she is more likely to get a reduced sentence, or even no

sentence at all, and she may be put in a job program to help her with her life and career. So while

we are mostly equal, there are ambiguous situations where equality isn’t exactly the same for

everyone.

As opposed to Utilitarian ethics and Deontological ethics, Virtue Ethics “focuses on

the moral character of the decision maker rather than the consequences of the actions

(Utilitarianism) or the motivation of the decision maker (Deontology)” (Brooks 148). Virtue has

many different meanings, For example, Socratian virtue is one of examining life and thoroughly

questioning life and being someone who does not follow the crowd. Ones virtue can only be truly

determined by themselves. Compared to the other theories, Utilitarian actions, while it aims to

increase pleasure and reduce pain, is not always correct, as sometimes pleasure may do more harm

than good, Justice and fairness are one in the same. By being fair then the decision maker is doling

out justice, But not all decisions are fair, thus an unfair decision does not necessarily mean that is

it injustice, and while deontological ethics may seem to be the safest of all, remember that the rules

and laws we adhere to are created by others, and what if those rules clash with our own virtues and

beliefs, then we would be forced to perform duties that we do not want. Virtue ethics seems to be

the safest and most reliable, as regardless of what others think, a ethical decision made by a

someone regardless of others believing if it’s right or wrong is ethical as far as his virtues, align

with his actions.