Professional Ethics

Lecture # 6
Major Ethical Prespectives

by Khadija Ejaz

Ethical Reasoning
Ethical Reasoning is reasoning about right and wrong human
conduct. OR
Moral reasoning can be defined as being the process in
which an individual tries to determine the difference between
what is right and what is wrong by using logic.
Different approaches are being used by individuals/groups for
ethical reasoning:
Relativism
Utilitarianism
Universalism
Right based Approach
Fairness & Justice

Relativism
This approach suggest that judgment about right & wrong,
good & bad is related to individual person or culture.
Self interest influence decision making in particular situation.
According to this approach what is right for one
group/individual/ culture is wrong for other group/individual/
culture and there is no universal standard for right & wrong and
good bad.
Positive points:
Recognizing differences in values and culture.

Negative points:
One becomes self centered
Laziness

Utilitarianism
It is also called consequence based approach
Everything is right whose result is right
Whatever the means you take does not
matter, result should be positive.
This approach consider following points:
Decision should produce greater good for greater
people
Benefits should be greater than costs
Immediate & future benefits are greater

 Positive points
Collective interests are considered rather than
individual interests
It estimates costs benefits

Negative points:
What is definition of good
Not focusing whether the means taken are wrong
or right, ethical or unethical, but only on positive
results.

Universalism
This approach is also known as Deontology or duty based
approach.
It suggest that means justify the end of actions not the
consequences.
Actions should be right even though consequences are
negative.
Its your duty that your action must respect all others.
Positive points:
it values every human being
Focusing on means
Negative points
Its difficult to thinks of all humanity and treat everyone equally

Right based Approach

Individual rights mean entitlements at birth. These
entitlements usually include the right to life, liberty, health,
dignity, and choice.
what makes human beings different from mere things is that
people have dignity based on their ability to choose freely what
they will do with their lives, and they have a fundamental moral
right to have these choices respected and to respect others in
same way
Positive points:
Human dignity and individual worth are always protected

Negative points:
Clash between interest & right
Who would decide limit of rights

Fairness & Justice

This approach suggest fair and equitable distribution of
opportunities as well as of hardships. OR
Benefits and opportunities -- as well as burdens -- are to be
shared equally, regardless of power, position & wealth.
The basic moral question in this approach is: How fair is an
action? Does it treat everyone in the same way, or does it
show favoritism and discrimination?
Positive points:
More easily codified into regulations and laws. Along with the
Rights perspective this principle provides the foundation of many
national laws.

Negative points:
Outside the jurisdiction of state who will decide who is right who is
wrong