Reference no: EM132308120
In 500-600 words apply my metaethical theory to some aspect of the issue that was discussed in the reading in order to demonstrate what the moral approach to the issue is.
Every society lives under certain agreeable rules and regulations that guide their operations thereby maintaining social order. Similarly, when adopting a structure of decision making, ethical consideration must be in play to ensure the morals and values of a community are not infringed. Ethics determines whether an action is moral or immoral. The discussion below evaluates the best approach to ethics supported by ethical theories.
Understanding what the greatest benefit for society is the best approach to ethics. The approach gets its guidance from the ethical principle of beneficence. Beneficence principle indicates that every moral action must evaluate what is right as well as good; what generates the largest measure of good over evil (Page, 2012). The beneficence principle explains how an action is moral or immoral as supported by two ethical theories utilitarianism and rights.
Utilitarianism theory states that what is ethically correct should be an action that brings the greatest benefit to society. Based on two types of utilitarianism act and rule, a person act must yield more benefit to people regardless of the person's feelings and societal constraints (Mill, 2016).
It also takes the form of justice and fairness when benefiting society. Utilitarianism ethics dictates determining what action is moral should go beyond personal interest and take the interest of others in the community. Through utilitarian ethics, an action that brings fewer advantages to people is immoral.
For instance, if a person intends to use a natural resource like a river to dump factory by-products at the expense of others the action is immoral. However, if he/she uses the same river to supply water to people his/her action becomes ethically correct. In the two instances, the use of the river that offers more benefits, the supply of water, becomes the ethically correct action.
Rights theory indicates that some privileges established by society must take the highest priority. Notably, rights are ethically correct as well as valid as the largest population in the community endorses them (MacKinnon and Fiala, 2014). Rights and utilitarian theories are complementary as they insist on the larger population benefits. Society goals, as well as ethical priorities, are the primary determinants of action morality.
The approach of involving society principles and priorities using utilitarian and rights theories is the best approach to explaining the morality of an action.
The community wellbeing takes center stage. As explained by the two theories, an action is correct based on its consequences. Bentham's Hedonic calculus states that immoral action causes more pain than happiness and pleasure (West, 2013). Therefore, determining the benefits to the society that offers more happiness and benefits should be the measure of action's morality.
Rule utilitarianism and rights approach focuses on justice and fairness of an action. Besides, it dwells in the principles of beneficence and justice that are imperative while evaluating actions.
The principles conform to metaethics that investigates whether ethical principles go beyond individual expressions (McCloskey, 2013). An understanding that action morality takes more than personal feelings appreciates that moral principles are not mere social interventions.
Summarily, what makes an action moral or immoral is the benefits accrued from its consequences, the people who benefit from the actions as well as what level of justice and fairness gets associated with the action based on societal principles and priorities.