Filosofie opstel ethiek - Playing God in a Hospital
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Course
Filosofie
Level
VWO / Gymnasium
A philosophy essay about an ethical dilemma in a hospital. It discusses various ethical theories (including duty ethics, consequentialism, and virtue ethics) and their philosophers.
By: Lucas van Zuijdam and Lieke Welleweerd
MA41
13-06-2021
M. Dijkstra
, Description of three ethical theories
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism, also known as consequentialism, is an ethical theory found by Jeremy
Bentham and John Stuart Mill in 18th century England. These two philosophers were
inspired by Epicurus, a hedonist from ancient Greek. Hedonists focus on the
pleasures in life and try to avoid pain and suffering. Betham too believed people
want to be as happy as possible and made a calculus in which the quantity of
happiness could be measured. Mill believed not only quantity but also quality of
happiness exists. For example, art is a form of higher pleasure and brings a higher
quality of happiness than a form of lower pleasure like television. Mill also believed
people choose lower pleasure over higher pleasure because it's easier to obtain and
thus higher pleasure has to be protected.
Ethical theories are always centered around the questions of good and evil.
Utilitarianism believes in the greatest happiness for the biggest number of people.
So, a murder is justified if it benefits more people than it hurts. This is the Greatest
Happiness Principle and Mill believes it is the way to the most happiness and the
least suffering for the greatest number of people. This is why utilitarianism is also
known as consequentialism: it doesn't matter what you did or why you did it, as long
as the consequence brings more happiness than suffering, you did a good deed.
Deontological ethics
Deontological ethics, also known as deontology, is a normative ethical theory. This
ethical theory was found by Immanuel Kant in the 18th century. Kant says that in
order to behave morally right, you have to behave out of duties. Compared to the
other theories, this theory is based on whether the action is wrong or right, not the
consequences. Kant believes that acting in the morally right way is by acting with the
right motive, no matter what the consequences are. According to him there is nothing
in nor beyond the world that can be called good except for good will.
Take pleasure for example. Normally pleasure is a good thing, but if you have
pleasure in watching someone suffer, the situation gets ethically worse.
There are 2 main rules in the rule-based ethical theory: “act only according to that
maxim by which you can also will that it would become a universal law” and “act in
such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the
person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an
end”. If you live by these rules, Kant believes that you are a morally right person and
that you are living a happy life.
I’ll give a further explanation of the first rule. If someone were to fall in the ditch,
would it be best to let that person help theirself or to help them get out of the ditch?
Kant believes that if everyone in the world would be given the same scenario and
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