Timeline of Major Ethical Philosophies

SOCRATES: SOCRATIC PARADOX

469 BCE

(SOCRATIC PARADOX) Socrates’ ethical philosophy stated in the Socratic Paradox investigates the existence of one’s weakness of will: doing something wrong while knowing what is right. It states that people may act immorally, but they do not do so deliberately; and that what one truly knows is the dictates of one's conscience or soul (The Ethics of Socrates, n.d.).

PLATO: EUDAIMONIA AND ARETE

428 BCE

(EUDAIMONIA AND ARETE)
For Plato, ethics comes down to two basic things: eudaimonia and arete. Eudaimonia, or "well-being," is the virtue that Plato teaches we must all aim toward. However, achieving eudaimonia requires something extra, which Plato calls arete, or ”excellence”. Plato believes that knowledge is the most essential virtue and component for an individual to achieve eudaimonia (Herboso, 2018).

ARISTOTLE: VIRTUE THEORY

384 BCE

(VIRTUE THEORY) The essence of Aristotle’s Virtue Theory in Ethics states that practicing ethics from an early age is a must if we genuinely desire people to be ethical. Aristotle also introduced the concept of what is known as the golden mean of moderation, which states that in order for one to identify as a moral person, one must find the desirable middle between a virtue’s two extremes: excess and deficient (OpenStax College, 2018).

JEREMY BENTHAM & JOHN STUART MILL: UTILITARIANISM

1769

(UTILITARIANISM) Utilitarianism’s emphasis is on the outcome/s of ethical decisions, thus, it is categorized as a consequentialist theory. Utilitarianism states that when making moral decisions, one is advised to choose the action that will produce the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people. When the balance of good, happiness, or usefulness outweighs that of evil, harm, or unhappiness, then the choice is a moral one (OpenStax College, 2018).

IMMANUEL KANT: DEONTOLOGY

1788

(DEONTOLOGY) The term deontology is derived from the Greek word ”deon,” which means duty, obligation, or command. Deontology is a non-consequentialist and non-situationalist theory, which is the polar opposite of utilitarianism. Deontology states that an action’s motive is what is more important than its results (OpenStax College, 2018).

JOHN RAWLS: JUSTICE THEORY

1921

(JUSTICE THEORY) Rawls called his concept of social justice "Justice as Fairness". It consists of two principles: the Principle of Equal Liberty and the Principle of Equality. Rawls also emphasized in this theory the utilization of the original position or veil of ignorance, an artificial device used to work out the basic institutions and structures of a just society (OpenStax College, 2018).

WILLIAM DAVID ROSS: PRIMA FACIE DUTIES

1930

(PRIMA FACIE DUTIES) Ross’ ethical system is deontological and anti-consequentialist as rather than outcomes, it is based on adherence to rules or duties. Prima facie means "at first glance." The idea is that our moral duties are conditional duties. The seven categories of our prima facie duties, according to Ross, are fidelity, reparation, gratitude, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and self-improvement (Hagan, 2022).