Ethics The Human Imperfection of Greed Essay - 838 Words

An ongoing problem in the United States and other countries are issues dealing with ethics. Many philosophers throughout the centuries have created works and theories on ethics, among them Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Ethics may generally be defined as the study of morality (Cohen, p. 17). Aristotle on Nicomachean Ethics said Virtue†¦ being of two kinds, intellectual and moral, intellectual virtue in the main owes both its birth and its growth to teaching (for which reason it requires experience and time), while moral virtue comes about as a result of habit. (Cohen, p. 79) I feel that these ideas serve as the groundwork for Ethics in general but as society has progressed it was and is necessary to adapt different types of Ethics. I†¦show more content†¦My aim is not to change the current system but to adopt theories to improve upon it. After further research on Rule Ethics I feel Kant’s ideas in the work â€Å"Grounding for the metaphysics of morals† provides a better model for the business environment and laws governing business transactions. Kant’s Deontological Ideas about â€Å"good will† and the â€Å"the categorical Imperative† serve as the basis for my proposal to a solution of some of the problems that affected many Americans in recent years. An example of this is to Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. (Cohen, p.44) Another, we will take the notion of duty which includes that of a good will (Abbott, p.5). However I can also acknowledge the fact that Kantian Ethics have been criticized in hypothetical situations based on the literal meaning of his words as to what a moral act constitutes. The goodwill is the only thing in the world that is good unconditionally and in itself, no matter what accomp lishes, or what other attributes accompany it. (Abbott, Dennis, P.18) This is the particular theory that I feel should be applied in the formulation of laws. It should be asked in court according to Kant’s argument, what was the motivation of the duty or action performed by the company executives? If the motives of action were not made in goodwill the law should proceed with next course to determineShow MoreRelatedConfucianism: Morality and Confucius1356 Words   |  6 Pagesthe problem(s) of human nature. What is his prescription? Do you think it’s a good one? If you agree, explain why? After studying the Confucius theory of human nature, my outlook and view on many things have either been changed or at least question. I am left to wonder how being born into this belief system may impact an individual views of themselves, and the world around them. 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