Virtue ethics vs. utilitarianism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Virtue ethics vs. utilitarianism - Term Paper Example It is an ethical dilemma, to identify which of the two is ethical; being unkind or lying. On the other hand it is also complex if it is ethical or unethical for an individual to steal from the rich with an aim of helping the poor. Ethics is both what an individual studies and thinks or the code that an individual follows and lives in that direction. In this paper I will argue that utilitarianism is the better form of ethics than virtue ethics.... Virtue ethics is a description of character as a moral agent, character is an ethical behavior driving force. It does not depend on rules or a consequence which defines what is right and wrong depending with the results of an act rather than character (Crisp, 68). While utilitarianism on the other hand, is an idea based on the moral worth of a specific action relaying on its usefulness as it maximizes on utility and minimizes on utility which is negative(Scarre, 2). Utility is defined as pleasure without pain, satisfaction that is preference or knowledge. Utilitarianism is therefore a form of consequentialism; moral worth of a specific action depends on the outcome. ... ch therefore it does not matter on the kind of acts human beings are involved in, or the intentions of individuals in an action, as long as the outcomes are positive. The consequential approach makes sense to us intuitively since while growing up, most children are usually taught on how they should be good. In this context the young are usually advice on how they should carry themselves and since human beings are mostly govern by there conscious they are in a position to make a decision based on the action that will not hate the other party (Lafollette, 27). In addition, utilitarianism relays on two main principles, one being equality; that is an individual considers everyone’s interests counts by having the same weight and relevancy. It does not discriminate race since everyone’s frustrations or pain has the same magnitude as anyone else. While the second principle relies on the action of an individual, the act has to result to a balance which is best between an indivi dual frustrations and satisfaction, as well as to all human beings affected by the results of the action. It is the best form of ethic since as a utilitarian; one has to think critically about a specific approach in a moral way. Here, an individual has to evaluate by first finding out the impacts of a specific approach. As a utilitarian one has to know who will be affected by choosing one of the two existing options. In addition, one has to determine the strength of the impact of the approach as well as where the best results will lie. It does not matter what option one has to take but it matters if the selected option is defines the moral duties (Lafollette, 27). On the other hand, Utilitarianism focuses on the idea of being kind and it is ethical for human beings to act this way. Being kind to