Ethical theories give guidance on decision-making, especially when a person has to consider ethics in their actions and reasoning. There are three ethical theories; virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism. Virtue ethics is a philosophical approach to ethics that is primarily concerned with the person’s character rather than duties as the key element for attaining an individual’s fulfillment. It is important to note that Aristotle advanced virtue ethics, emphasizing the understanding of moral characters in society. As a character-centered approach, virtue ethics assumes that human beings acquire virtue by practicing morality. The theory has three components that include Eudaimonism, Ethics of Care, as well as Agent-Based Theories. Eudaimonism emphasizes that the primary goal of human life is to attain happiness and well-being, which consequently leads to a good life. Ethics of Care was developed and advanced largely by feminist writers and is motivated by the view that men mainly think and act masculine.
In contrast, women think in terms of feminine with acts such as caring, thus, persuading people to consider a change in morality and virtues and embrace femininity. Agent-based Theories were developed in 1941 by Michael Slote. It provides an idea of virtues as common sense and forms part of admirable character traits, such as compassion, kindness, and benevolence.
The deontological theories of ethics state that humans should consider their duties and obligations whenever they make ethical decisions. It emphasizes the adherence to one’s duty, which is intuitive at others’ expense or society to uphold ethics. An action is perceived morally right due to its characteristics and not because of the nature of the end product. It also urges people to observe internal moral values such as human dignity, expressed through reasoning and actions regardless of individual desires.
Consequentialism is a compelling theory concerning the fundamental basis as far as morality is concerned. It holds that an individual’s action should consider the general welfare and interests of society. Furthermore, people should weigh the consequences of their actions, for example, the benefits of donating things to charity or the effects of stealing that cause harm to others. In essence, the three ethical theories emphasize the consequences of human actions and the morality behind them. On the other hand, epistemology is a philosophical study concerning knowledge, the wisdom of beliefs, and epistemic justification. It seeks to define the knowledge and explain how it can be acquired.