ETHICAL PHILOSOPHERS

By Ivantastic
  • 1588 BCE

    JEREMY BENTHAM AND JOHN STUART MILL

    JEREMY BENTHAM AND JOHN STUART MILL
    Utilitarianism is a theory of morality, which advocates actions that foster happiness or pleasure and opposes actions that cause unhappiness or harm. When directed toward making social, economic, or political decisions, a utilitarian philosophy would aim for the betterment of society as a whole.
  • 1588 BCE

    THOMAS HOBBES

    THOMAS HOBBES
    Thomas Hobbes believes that human beings are
    basically selfish creatures who would do anything to improve
    their position. According to Hobbes, people would act on their
    evil impulses if left alone for themselves; therefore, they
    should not be trusted to make decisions on their own. In
    addition, Hobbes felt that like people, nations are selfishly
    motivated. For him, each country is in a constant battle for
    power and wealth.
  • 469 BCE

    SOCRATES

    SOCRATES
    Socrates was an Athenian Philosopher whose questions
    and opinions clashed with the current course of Athenian
    politics and society. Hence, the development of personal ethics is
    mastering what he called “the art of measurement,” correcting the distortions that skew
    one’s analyses of benefits and cost. According to Socrates, “no one commits an evil act knowingly and doing wrong arises out of ignorance.” A person will commit only moral evil if he lacks moral knowledge.
  • Period: 469 BCE to 399 BCE

    SOCRATES

  • 428 BCE

    PLATO

    PLATO
    Plato ranks among the greatest philosophers of the world, and is viewed by many scholars as the most important Philosopher of Western civilization. Plato held that moral values are objective in the sense that they exist in a spirit-like realm beyond subjective human conventions. Ethics is referred to as a concern to act rightly and live a good life. Plato’s main
    concern is to challenge the views most people have about goodness, for it is here that they
    go disastrously wrong.
  • Period: 428 BCE to 348 BCE

    PLATO

  • 384 BCE

    ARISTOTLE

    ARISTOTLE
    In Arabic Philosophy, he was known simply as “The First
    Teacher;” in the West, he was “The Philosopher.”
    The ethics of Aristotle is concerned with action, not as
    being right in itself irrespective of any other consideration, but with actions conducive to man’s good. Aristotle sets himself to discover what this good is and what the science
    corresponding to it is. Aristotle’s “The Golden Mean Principle” states that to be happy, live a life of
    moderation.
  • Period: 384 BCE to 322 BCE

    ARISTOTLE