His notion of happiness is not simply a feeling of contentment or satisfaction, but an activity for human beings. All of our other goods/goals/ends are for the sake of achieving happiness. ARISTOTLE’S VIRTUE ETHICS:įor Aristotle, happiness is the only good that we desire for its own sake.
Here we will look at the basics for two utilitarians, Bentham and J.S. Utilitarianism is the final approach we will address here and this is the view that consequences are the most important thing for resolving ethical dilemmas. Kant’s approach is duty-based, which means that there are certain duties that we have as human beings and these duties are absolutely binding for us. Aristotle’s approach is agent-centered in that it focuses on the development of the individual, which in turn, benefits society as a whole. While there are many approaches to ethics in the west, here we will look at three distinct theories.
An Introduction to Western Ethical Thought: Aristotle, Kant, Utilitarianism
