Theories of Ethics: Other Deontological Theories of Ethics

Other deontological theories of ethics discussed here are  Natural Law Tradition and also Communitarianism .

1. Natural Law Tradition

Natural law is a system of law based on a close observation of human nature, and based on values intrinsic to human nature that can be deduced and applied independent of positive law. According to natural law theory, all people have inherent rights, conferred not by act of legislation but by "God, nature, or reason."

Natural law is a theory in ethics and philosophy that says that human beings possess intrinsic values that govern our reasoning and behavior. Natural law maintains that these rules of right and wrong are inherent in people and are not created by society or court judges.

Laws of nature govern the activities of the universe, instruct emotions common to man, like love of offspring, self preservation etc ; Therefore

–     All rational persons know what kind of actions morality prohibits, requires, discourages and encourages. It is reason which makes us act morally.

–     What is natural is right/good and vice versa.

 

 

2. Communitarianism

 

Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based upon the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relationships, with a smaller degree of development being placed on individualism

 

It is a social and political philosophy that emphasizes the importance of community in the functioning of political life, in the analysis and evaluation of political institutions, and in understanding human identity and well-being. It arose in the 1980s as a critique of two prominent philosophical schools: contemporary liberalism, which seeks to protect and enhance personal autonomy and individual rights in part through the activity of government, and libertarianism, a form of liberalism (sometimes called “classical liberalism”) that aims to protect individual rights—especially the rights to liberty and property—through strict limits on governmental power.

There are strong communitarian elements in many modern and historical political and religious belief systems—e.g., in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the Christian New Testament (Acts 4:32: “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common”); in the early Islamic concept of shūrā (“consultation”); in Confucianism; in Roman Catholic social thought (the papal encyclical Rerum Novarum [1891]); in moderate conservatism (“To be attached to the subdivision, to love the little platoon we belong to in society, is the first principle…of public affections”—Edmund Burke); and in social democracy, especially Fabianism. Communitarian ideas have also played a significant role in public life through their incorporation into the electoral platforms and policies of Western political leaders of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, and U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Communitarianism stands for

 

•      Common good

•      Social Goals

•      Co-operative Virtues

•      Community Values

•      Solidarity: community makes the individual and Vice versa

•      Society assigns roles.

•      Therefore what is in line with the common good is right and vice versa.

 

Elements to evaluate an ethical act

•      Object /act

•      End/intention

•      Circumstances

•      Evaluation of acts with a double effect

•      Responsibility for other peoples actions

•      Responsibility for cooperating in other peoples actions

•      Restrictions to proper use of the intellect.

 

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