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469 BCE
Socrates (469 - 399 BC)
Socrates seemed to have been fond of the thought that human beings were mistaken once they disregard moral values upon gaining advantage. Also, as he said that “no one commits an evil act knowingly and doing wrong arises out of ignorance.”. A sin is often made out of ignorance when there is a lack of apprehension towards its consequences. However, our judgements are based on what we think is right, then we deliberately act on it for it “benefits” us—even with knowing that it is immoral. -
428 BCE
Plato (428 - 348 BC)
Mainly, he held the belief of the objectivity of moral values for it does not change over time and remains constant. It is not influenced by any new justification, rather further exemplified. See how integrity is still being incorporated in the belief systems of countries and is a must have trait of institutions. Moreover, “ethics is a concern to act rightly and live a good life”. The concept of a happy life, according to him, is a life with a clean conscience because you did nothing immoral. -
384 BCE
Aristotle (384 - 322 BC)
His ethical philosophy revolved around the notion of an “action, not as a right in itself irrespective of any other consideration, but with actions conducive to man’s common good.” Furthermore, Aristotle stated that in order to exist happily, we have to live a life of moderation. This appears to be the concept behind the famous, “The Golden Mean Principle”. He accentuates that nothing good stems from having too much of everything. We learn to be content with what we can adapt to. -
Thomas Hobbes (Moral Positivism)
He went on to introduce the “Moral Positivism” concept. The aforementioned ethical philosophy affirmed that undesirable consequences may take place if laws are not followed. There is a common belief that governments should protect its citizens from any unjust and unfair demonstrations. By the same token, he holds the idea that individuals could go to certain extents just to receive achievements. With this, we have the tendency to be decisively dangerous once given the obligation to do so. -
Immanuel Kant
Kant is the mind behind the ethical theory called Deontology which is comprised of the belief that actions can only be deemed right or wrong under the consideration of a substantial set of rules despite the outcomes. This interpretation of ethics opposes those of Bentham's Utilitarianism. Wherein, our personal intentions for our actions should remain the sole basis of the degree of our morality. In addition, he simply believed that human actions are made to abide by the standard moral laws. -
Jeremy Bentham (Utilitarianism)
He was the man behind “modern utilitarianism”, which is an ethical theory which asserts that if an action promotes the greater good for the majority, then it is morally right. The concept claims that consequences of an action overpower its motives. Therefore, whatever the intention of a person, if the results are menacing to the people around him, then we cannot condone it. Over and above that, when deciding for an initiative, we have to make sure that it would not harm anyone in the society. -
John Stuart Mill
Mill was the son of Bentham's subordinate whom he worked with towards advocating Utilitarianism. He continued to head the campaign and went on to establish the various stages of identifiable human pleasure. Furthermore, he rectified utilitarianism and introduced libertarianism--in which no matter how we persuade one person to correct his beliefs, they will still end up acting according to their will. Specifically, this boils down to our entitlement of freedom and rights when making decisions. -
John Rawls
His ethics can best be recalled as the "justice as fairness" concept. He spent most of his life justifying that human justice is based on two principles. In which he explained the first to be about being granted the equal liberty as others, and the second about having fair equality of opportunity and the Difference Principle. Particularly, it is established that if fairness exists, justice is presumed. This occurs in situations where law is implemented to ensure everyone's benefit.