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The Theory of Deontology, Virtue Ethics, and Social Contract Theory

Essay Instructions:

The expectation is that the weekly essay assignments are formal essays. That means an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. General rule for the main body is that the number of paragraphs corresponds to the number of points being made. I don't think you can answer these questions completely, while adhering to the above, in less than two full pages typed double-spaced.
Assignment E5: Answer ONE of the following.
5A. Compare and contrast Kant’s view of the “good will” with the Socratic Paradox expressed in Plato’s Protagoras. Kant writes ". . . reason is not competent to guide the will with certainty in regard to its objects and the satisfaction of all our wants." How would Socrates react to this assessment? For that matter, how would Bentham, who held that motives are neither bad nor good?
5B. Aristotle’s theory of ethics is difficult to resolve in terms of moral obligations of human beings. A second major approach to ethics is sometimes called a duty ethics (deontology). Should the rightness of human actions be based on laws, principles, or rules of moral behavior? Deontologists, such as Kant, believe ethics should be based on duty and rights, and those ethical theories are often based on social contract theory. Explore the possibility that socially-based moral laws and principles are incompatible with the moral well-being of the individual.
The following is needed for answering question 5A:
"I know that I know nothing" is a saying derived from Plato's account of the Greek philosopher Socrates. It is also called the Socratic paradox. Rather than a strict paradox, the term refers to either of two surprising and unacceptable conclusions drawn from the Socratic dialogues of Plato: (i) the startling consequence of Socrates's association of knowledge and virtue, according to which nobody ever does wrong knowingly; (ii) the view that nobody knows what they mean when they use a term unless they can provide an explicit definition of it. Although this last is sometimes called the Socratic fallacy, this can be regarded as being uncharitable to Socrates, whose concern was not simply with meaning, but more with notions like justice or reason, for which our inability to provide principles may well reflect ignorance and muddle. [On the first issue, see akrasia.] The Socratic Paradox involves: (i) the startling consequence of Socrates's association of knowledge and virtue, according to which nobody ever does wrong knowingly; (ii) the view that nobody knows what they mean when they use a term unless they can provide an explicit definition of it.
You may find the following definitions helpful:
Teleological ethics is a theory of morality that derives duty or moral obligation from what is good or desirable as an end (purpose) to be achieved. Teleology, in general, is the explanation of phenomena in terms of the purpose they serve rather than of the cause by which they arise.
In moral philosophy, deontological ethics or deontology (from Greek δέον, deon, "obligation, duty") is the normative ethical theory that the morality of an action should be based on whether that action itself is right or wrong under a series of rules, rather than based on the consequences of the action.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Assignment E5: Question 5B
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Assignment E5: Question 5B
Deontology is a theory in ethics that uses rules to determine right and wrong actions. It views morality according to the accepted norms, duties, and motives. From a deontologist's perspective, an action is right if it follows the accepted laws or principles of responsibility (Österberg, 2019). This view has raised controversy over legal action and moral action. Deontologists may believe that an illegal act can also be moral, but this is not the case. Ideally, what is legal is not necessarily moral and vice versa (Paquette et al., 2015). For instance, despite the death penalty is legal in some countries, it does not mean it is moral. Ethically, the death penalty is a wrong act because it deprives one of the rights to life. Equally, euthanasia can be ethical but illegal. These examples argue against deontology theory about using laws to justify a moral action. From an individual viewpoint, the rightness of human actions should not be based on laws, principles, or rules of moral behavior. They should be based on virtue.
Virtues are behaviors or characters such as honesty, kindness, respect, integrity, fairness, and generosity that demonstrate high moral standards. They manifest in individual actions and guide a person to solve the ethical complexity without specific rules (Annas, 2015). Moral virtue is the only realistic path to valuable action. Actions that people of good character love with the right desire, thoughts, and reasons are often seen as beautiful. It shows that people with virtue perceive truly and judge rightly because beautiful things occur when performed with people of good character (Annas, 2015). Simply put, virtuous people are unlikely to do the wrong thing because their positive characters direct them to do the right thing. Contrary to deontology, the theory of virtue ethics maintains that good characters lead to right actions, whereas bad characters result in wrong actions. This explains why the rightness of a person should be based on virtue, not laws, principles, and rules of ethical behavior illustrated by deontologists.
Social contract theory states that in the beginning, humans lived in a natural state without government and laws to regulate them (Muldoon, 2016). In fact, human behaviors were controlled by soc...
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