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428 BCE
Plato (428-348 BC)
At one time in the history of Western philosophy, theories of higher reality were commonplace. The most influential of these was offered by the Greek philosopher Plato, a student of the equally great philosopher Socrates. -
384 BCE
Aristotle (384 - 347 BC)
Student of Plato, Aristotle argued that virtues are good habits that we acquire, which regulate our emotions. The ethics of Aristotle are teleological: he is concerned with action, not as being right in itself irrespective of any other consideration, but with action as conducive to man's good. -
354 BCE
Augustine
St. Augustine's ethic has this in common with what one might call the typical Greek ethic; that is, eudaemonistic in character, which proposes an end for human conduct, namely happiness; but this happiness is to be found only in God. -
Period: 1225 to 1274
Thomas Aquinas
The moral philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas involves a merger of at least two apparently disparate traditions: Aristotelian eudaimonism and Christian theology. -
Period: to
Utilitarianism (Jeremy Bentham)
Two features of his theory are note-worthy. First, Bentham proposed that we tally the consequences of each action we perform and thereby determine on a case-to-case basis whether an action is morally right or wrong. Second, Bentham also proposed that we tally the pleasure and pain which result from our actions. For Bentham, pleasure and pain are the only consequences that matter in determining whether our conduct is moral. -
Immanuel Kant
Kantian ethics emphasizes a single principle duty. Kant believes that the morality of all actions can be determined by appealing to this single principle of duty. -
Period: to
Gawad Kalinga
Gawad Kalinga (GK) is now known largely because of its success in mobilizing donors, volunteers, and the intended beneficiaries themselves in building beautiful and colorful houses in thousands of communities all over the country. More than building houses, though, GK has initiated self-sustaining programs that have improved the lives of more than 200,000 families (and counting) throughout the country since the mid-1990s.
