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Philosophy may be described as the pursuit of knowledge. Based on this viewpoint, we can attribute ancient Hebrews as exceptional thinkers and ethic founders since they had a lifelong love for knowledge. Morality dictates that philosophy must value the pursuit of understanding morals and ethics in the proper and hopeful way of life. As a result, ethics entails analytical study (severe and careful examination) on the notions of ought, duty, responsibility, moral good, and wrong. The great philosophers and schools of thought believed that humans constantly seek eudaimonia (success), hence the need to address channels followed in the pursuit (Rogers, p 26). Despite differences in interpretation of morality and ethics, all philosophical groupings have a similar point of view. The viewpoint indicates that one’s life attributes or character traits should help one live a better life – a life anchored in God’s and humanity’s wisdom. Life should encompass the purest meaning of godly and human success definitions.
The early church and philosophers are an essential source of inspiration and definition of morality in modern times. Since Socrates and Plato’s time, and possibly earlier, the Greek assumption has been that the end of life should be eudaimonia, insinuating mutual happiness characterized by satisfaction and contentment. One had to be a specific kind of person, termed an arête to obtain such a level of happiness or a unique type of person. To become an arête required (or was determined by) the existence of certain character qualities in one’s life. However, God-inspired thinkers such as Augustine adhered to eudaimonistic beliefs. Augustine’s Eudaimonistic approach, based on the traditional eudemonism, varied from Socratic and Platonic viewpoints in that he felt that genuine pleasure could only be attained by knowing God. Furthermore, Aquinas’ approach to ethics was Aristotelian in that he provided a list of cardinal virtues that contributed to obtaining eudaimonia. Prudence, temperance, justice, and bravery were among the virtues listed by Aquinas.
Several moral theories have affected current philosophical perspectives. Thomas Hobbes developed a political theory in which he proposed that people started living in social groupings because it was helpful to them (Rogers, p 82). Though it required each individual to give up part of their liberties, interdependence produced rewards and advantages that were more than the compensation for the sacrifices made. Kant, a comparable philosopher, felt that people are self-determined autonomous individuals who must choose what is moral via an elaborate process. Kant asserted that goodwill was the sole genuinely moral characteristic – the desire (the will or resolve) to do what is right in each case. Utilitarianism is the belief that happiness is the essential aspect of existence. Morality is established by anticipating the outcomes of an act to see whether it will result in greater pleasure or suffering.
Ethical Egoism is the belief that whether an act is moral or immoral is determined by whether the conduct in question supports one’s own best interests. According to Ethical Egoism, self-interested actions are moral. Its most potent version implies that activities that do not promote one’s own best interests are unethical since one is ethically bound to prioritize one’s interests above everyone else’s. On the other hand, Virtue Ethics has many merits. However, it seems to lack what modern society desires in a moral theory – a transparent process for evaluating what is good and wrong. Virtue Ethics may work best as part of a more extensive, more complete ethical system than it does as a wholesome theory.
Modern ethical values, similar to the ancient theories, lack completeness. Modern theories emphasize recognizing the inherent worth of humanness (one’s own and that of others) and acts, attitudes, and interactions that indicate an awareness of the human value (Rogers, p 143). Based on the Principle of Essential Humanness, Critical Ethical Eclecticism (CEE) is an eclectic ethical paradigm that borrows from other theories to create a composite theory that incorporates features from traditional and modern theories. CEE results in a functional framework for moral thinking and acting widely used in the contemporary world. Abortion is a complex and contentious moral issue in today’s societies. CCE theory tries to provide light on this issue by examining abortion through the lens of the Golden Rule Ethic of Love and Virtue Ethics (Rogers, p 174). Except in circumstances when the mother’s life is in danger, CCE determines abortion is immoral. A comparable modern quandary is the morality of death punishment versus concerns about human life’s fundamental worth.
The moral problem with embryonic stem cell research is the same as the moral question with abortion: the morality of eliminating an embryo or fetus. If the embryos killed during the extraction of stem cells are live humans, the practice is unethical. If the embryos are not live human beings, the procedure of destroying them is not morally repugnant (Rogers p 232). Therefore, the task relies on assessing whether an embryo is a live human being. The issues concerning euthanasia are complicated owing to the dilemma of taking one’s life. Life started to be regarded as sacred as the global worldview evolved, inspired by Greek philosophy and Judeo-Christian viewpoints.
Environmental ethics is a new school of philosophy that deals with the morality of how we interact with our environment. There are two primary approaches to the issues at hand: anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric approaches. Anthropocentric philosophers contend that humans have absolute control over the environment, while non-anthropocentric thinkers argue that people’s influence over the environment should be limited (Rogers, p 243). Human cloning is appealing for some, but it is terrifying for others. To examine the morality of human cloning, the facts must be separated from the myth (Rogers, p 245). The act does not seem immoral but unique, novel, perplexing, and terrifying to various individuals, further dividing philosophists on its morality.
Philosophy is one of the first studied topics, with philosophers such as Aristotle developing moral theories in the early civilizations. Moral philosophy must value the pursuit of understanding morals and ethics in the proper and hopeful way of life. As a result, ethics entails analytical study (severe and careful examination) on the notions of ought, duty, responsibility, and moral good and wrong. Regardless of how morality and ethics are interpreted, all philosophical groupings agree on one point: adopting virtues or character traits into one’s life to enable one to live a better life. Modern philosophers use Critical Ethical Eclecticism (CEE) as a practical paradigm for moral thinking and conduct to address the question of the validity of older philosophical ideas. As a result, individuals must analyze their moral problems individually and objectively. They should then develop a moral stance based on studying the circumstances, challenging the legitimacy of the activity and the potential damages or benefits to themselves and others.
Work Cited
Rogers, Glenn. 21st Century Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy. Simpson & Brook, Publishers, 2012.
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