-
Period: 384 BCE to 322 BCE
Aristotle
A student of Plato who was one of the founders of Western Philosophy. -
350 BCE
The Ethics of Aristotle: Virtue Theory
Aristotle believed that every virtue resides somewhere between the vices of defect and excess. -
Period: to
Immanuel Kant
The sage of Konigsberg in Prussia, he taught philosophy at the University of Konigsberg for several years. -
Period: to
Jeremy Bentham, 1748-1832 & John Stuart Mill, 1806-1873
Bentham was an attorney and became what we would today call a consultant to the British Parliament. Mill was a leader of the second utilitarian. -
The Ethics of Bentham and Mill: Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism as an ethical system today, though it has application to many areas beyond that simply of lawmaking, holds to the same principle. -
The Ethics of Kant: Deontology
Deontology is the radical opposite of utilitarianism in that it holds that the consequences of moral decision are of no matter whatsoever. -
Period: to
John Rawls
Though Rawls considered himself to be a utilitarian, he also acknowledged that his moral philosophy owed much to the social contract tradition represented over the past few centuries by John Locke and David Hume, among others. -
The Ethics of John Rawls: Justice Theory
Ralws insisted that human justice must be centered on a firm foundation comprising a first and second principle.