Comparing Ethical Theories

Put a check mark in the cell or cells in a row under the ethical theories that have the feature indicated at the beginning of the row.

Feature Consequentialist Deontological Natural Rights Virtue/Character
Ethics is based on "pros" and "cons" of outcomes to make choices



Ethics is based on the development of good character traits



Actions that do not take away our fundamental rights as human beings, such as the right of freedom from torture



Right action is determined by our obligations to one another



We determine right actions independent of what are good outcomes, and then choose what is good from among these



Allows the good of most to outweight the pain of a few



Right actions are those that do not corrupt the character of others



We determine what are good outcomes, and then choose the action that maximizes the good



We are obligated to act to the extent that it advances our own interests



We don't need rules for morality; what we need is to develop ourselves and others as good human beings



Different individuals are held to the same standards of behavior



The right action is the one that maximizes our own gain