ABSTRACT

In Chapter 1 we considered the Utilitarian and Kantian approaches to ethics. Each of those theories offered a relatively clear decision procedure. In Utilitarianism the decision is based on the “greatest happiness” formula; whereas in Kantianism, it is the universalizability test of the Categorical Imperative. In this chapter we will consider two quite different approaches to moral reasoning: First we will examine a framework of fundamental rights, and second we will explore the idea of ethics as being about virtue-–being the right kind of person-–rather than it being primarily about specific decision-making.