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470 BCE
Socrates
Socrates believed that if one knows what is good, one will always do good. If one commits an evil act, one lacks moral knowledge which he called "the art of measurement". He also said that it was up to society what is morally good or bad. Socrates equated knowledge with virtue. He believed that an unexamined life is not worth living. -
428 BCE
Plato
Inspired by math, Plato held that moral values are absolute or eternal in that they never change, and that they are universal as they apply to all rational creatures around the world. For instance, 1+1=2 is a concept that will never change and applies everywhere in the universe. He noted that moral values are also absolute truths and thus are also abstract spirit-like entities. In this sense, moral values are spiritual objects. -
384 BCE
Aristotle
Aristotle's ethics 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. Aristotle argues that virtues are good habits that we acquire, which regulate our emotions. Most virtues fall at a mean between more extreme character traits. For example, if one does not have enough courage, he/she will develop cowardice. It is not easy to find the perfect mean between extreme character traits. -
354
St. Augustine
St. Augustine's ethic has in common with the typical Greek ethic "eudaemonistic in character" which proposes an end for human conduct, namely happiness but happiness can only be found in God. Augustine's ethic is all about love. He identifies three conditions for committing a sin: receiving an evil suggestion, taking pleasure doing the act, and performing the act. Even when the action is carried out, it is the intention that is sinful. -
1224
Thomas Aquinas
The moral philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas involves at least two disparate traditions: Aristotelian eudaimonism and Christian theology. On the Aristotelian eudaimonism, Aquinas follows Aristotle in thinking that an act is good or bad depending on whether it contributes to or deters us from the proper human end. While on the Christian theology perfect happiness is not to be found in any created thing, but only in God. -
Moral Positivism
The concept of moral positivism is that all moral laws are the laws of the state. Good behaviors are in accordance with the laws of the state while bad behaviors are forbidden. According to Thomas Hobbes, humans are basically selfish creatures that would do anything to uplift themselves and should not be trusted in any decision-making so he believes that evidence should be prioritized over any concepts of authority. Ex.: business-related, business ventures should have laws and regulations. -
Immanuel Kant
Kant believes that the morality of all actions can be determined by appealing to this single principle of duty which he calls "categorical imperative". A categorical imperative, he argued, is fundamentally different from hypothetical imperatives that hinge on some personal desire that we have. For example, for one to get a good job, one has to go and finish college. -
Utilitarianism
Jeremy Betham first proposed that act-utilitarianism which states that specific acts of slavery would be morally permissible if the social benefit of these actions outweighed the disbenefit. A revised version is called rule-utilitarianism, a behavioral code is morally right if the consequences of adopting that rule are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone. second, hedonistic utilitarianism states that pain and pleasure are the only consequences that matter whether our conduct is moral.