Introduction
In the process of development of ethics as a philosophical trend, various concepts arose, each of which has its own view on the fundamental moments for it. The main idea of autonomous ethics is that the morality of each member of society does not depend on social, cultural, or religious prerequisites but exists on its own. It is not possible to determine the only genuine concept that is recognized as such by all humanity since the arguments of all are quite weighty.
Discussion
Aristotle believes that the main essence of ethics is the direction of the free and rational activity of the soul toward the good. Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics” sees the main distinguishing feature of virtue in keeping a “golden mean” between opposite extremes, for extremes are the essence of vices (Kraut, 2022). In this regard, Aristotle compares virtues to technical skills, saying that every skillful worker understands how to avoid excess and insufficiency and is halfway between the two extremes.
The belief that people should not be used but should be seen as having the highest intrinsic value is central to Kant’s ethics. Kant’s philosophy is often called deontological normative theory, which focuses on duties, obligations, and rights. It rejects that right and wrong are functions of goodness or badness in some way (Johnson & Cureton, 2022). Kant’s examination of the conventional moral principles of “good will” and “duty” led him to assume that humans are free and autonomous as long as morality is not an illusion in and of itself (Johnson & Cureton, 2022). Hence, instead of focusing on consequences, deontological ethics focuses on duties and obligations regardless of the consequences.
Bentham and Mill limit the formulation of the ultimate goals of human activity and moral evaluation to observable phenomena. From the point of view of utilitarian ethics, happiness is recognized as a universal homogeneous goal in which the conflict of duty and desire is erased (Crimmins, 2021). Therefore, calculating the long-term and socially significant consequences of individual actions is the essence of correct behavior. Utilitarianism thus shifts the focus in analyzing behavior from ethical value (virtue) to the scientific norm. Utilitarianism also varies from ethical theories that base the rightness or wrongness of action on the agent’s purpose (Crimmins, 2021). Thus, it is conceivable for the Utilitarian to do the right thing from a poor motive.
Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus are a varied collection of philosophers who each have a specific position on the existential approach to moral philosophy. Even though Sartre had less academic attention earlier, I find his approach more interesting because he presents his own concept of existentialism. He states that existentialism is the real-life existence of distinct human persons because “existence precedes essence” (Reynolds & Renaudie, 2022). As a result, rather than following a pre-determined basis, humans build their own via free choice.
Ethics of care is an ethical theory that believes that moral conduct is centered on interpersonal connections and the virtue of caring or kindness. Meanwhile, the priorities inverted by the ethics of care, such as love, feelings, and interpersonal connections, are supposed by Kant to be untrustworthy (Norlock, 2019). Thus, distinct priorities are the main difference between the two ethical theories. Ethics of care transcends reason toward a feminist approach to ethics as they value the same principles. For instance, it criticizes traditional male-centric moral theories. Feminist ethics, in its turn, aims to minimize gender characteristics and virtues associated with women and correct the gender roles in society.
Conclusion
To conclude, all existing concepts of ethics make attempts to identify the central moral values, as well as ways to achieve them quite challenging. Each developed under the influence of leading philosophers and thinkers, and each has the right to exist. Despite this, ethics, in general, suggests that individuals should be primarily guided by the desire for morality and morality inherent in them and not by the desire to achieve success or become happy.
References
Crimmins, J. E. (2021). Jeremy Bentham. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web.
Johnson, R. & Cureton, A. (2022). Kant’s Moral Philosophy. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web.
Kraut, R. (2022). Aristotle’s ethics. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web.
Norlock, K. (2019). Feminist ethics. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web.
Reynolds, J. & Renaudie, P. (2022). Jean-Paul Sartre. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web.