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469 BCE
SOCRATES
Socrates was an Athenian philosopher. One of the greatest paradoxes that helped his students explore was whether weakness of will – doing wrong when you genuinely knew what was right – truly existed.
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. Sometimes, a person may have knowledge but he deliberately commits an evil act to satisfy his hidden motive. -
428 BCE
PLATO
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 in trying to live happy lives .Plato considers this to be incorrect; it is only by being virtuous that we can hope to be happy. -
384 BCE
ARISTOTLE
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 argued that virtues are good habits that we acquire, which regulate our emotions. Aristotle’s “The Golden Mean Principle” states that to be happy, live a life of moderation. In everything that we do, we must avoid extremes (Roa, 2007). -
THOMAS HOBBES
Thomas Hobbes believes that human beings are basically selfish creatures who would do anything to improve their position. He states that people would act on their evil impulses if left alone for themselves; therefore, they should not be trusted to make decisions on their own. Hobbes also felt that like people, nations are selfishly motivated. For him, each country is in a constant battle for power and wealth. Hobbes’ moral positivism anticipates the chaotic outcome if laws are not abided. -
JEREMY BENTHAM
The word utilitarian is derived from the Latin words utile bonum or utilis which means usefulness. The utilitarian ethics is best explained by the maxim, “Do whatever produces the greatest good for the greatest number.” The theory argues that what makes an act right is its consequences and not the motive of the action. The principle of Utilitarianism is used in Cost-Benefit Analysis, for example, more benefit, less cost, is a good action.