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469 BCE
Socrates
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Period: 469 BCE to 399 BCE
Socrates
Socrates strived to critically evaluate the underlying ideas prevalent in Greece at the time, and he urged other people to do the same. People only commit moral wrong in Socrates' concept of ethics when the apparent advantages appear to exceed the penalties. If a person lacks moral awareness, he will only conduct moral evil. A person may have awareness, yet he willfully undertakes a bad act to satisfy a hidden motivation. -
428 BCE
Plato
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Period: 428 BCE to 348 BCE
Plato
Many experts regard Plato as the most influential philosopher of Western culture. The major goal of Plato's Ethics is to question popular notions of goodness. Most people consider virtue to be a modest benefit, if not a barrier to leading a happy life. Plato believes that this is false; only by being virtuous can we hope to be happy. -
384 BCE
Aristotle
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Period: 384 BCE to 322 BCE
Aristotle
Aristotle's Ethics is concerned with activities that are beneficial to man's well-being rather than with being ethical in and of themselves. According to Aristotle, virtues are excellent practices that govern our emotions. Most qualities sit somewhere in the middle of extreme character characteristics like cowardice and rashness. To be decisive in making judgments, one must employ his or her reasoning or seek the support of reason. -
Moral Positivism (17th - 18th Century)
Hobbes felt that humans are selfish and would act on their own selfish desires if left alone. He also believed that nations, like people, are motivated by selfish interests. According to him, each country is always competing with itself for power and riches. Hobbes' moral positivism predicts a chaotic conclusion if laws are not followed. As a result, every nation must have someone in charge of managing and administering them. -
UTILITARIANISM (18th - 19th Century)
According to the Utilitarianism theory, what makes an act right are the results of the act, not the motivation for the deed. A good act is one that produces good outcomes, operates well, and makes you successful. Otherwise, it is a horrible situation.