This document provides an overview of several major ethical theories - egoism, utilitarianism, deontology - as well as ethics from religious perspectives of Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism. It defines egoism as the view that an action is morally right if it pursues one's own desires or interests. Utilitarianism is consequentialist and holds that an action is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number. Deontology argues that acts are inherently right or wrong regardless of consequences, based on duties and rules. The document also outlines the key principles and concepts in Islamic, Buddhist, Christian and Hindu ethics, such as the Five Pillars of Islam, Four Noble Truths

1. Theory of Ethics
Chapter 2

2. Egoism
Definition:
An action is morally right if the decision maker freely decides in
order to pursue either their (short term) desires or their (long
term) interest.

3. Egoism Ethics
• Focus on the outcomes for the decision maker
• Important to distinguish egoism based on desire from selfishness
• Within moral philosophy, an important criticism of egoism based on
desire is that it render patently different approaches to life ass being
equivalent
• This theory works fine if there is a mechanism society that makes sure
that no individual egoist pursues his or her own interests at other
egoists’ expense.

4. Egoism Ethics
• Ethical egoism or egotism (also called simply egoism) is the normative
ethical position that moral agents ought to do what is in their own
self-interest.

5. Formulations of ethical egoism
Ethical Egoism
Individual
Ethical egoist
Personal
Ethical egoist
Universal
Ethical egoist
All people should do
whatever benefits them
He or she should act in
his or her own self –
interest, but would
make no claims about
what anyone else ought
to do
Everyone should act in
ways that are in their
own interest

6. Utilitarianism ethics
• Also known as Teleological ethical systems
• Emphasize the end, the product, the consequences of a decision
• The morally correct decision is one that produces the greatest good
• Systems that assume that everything has a purpose
• These theory are interested in the outcome or consequence of an
action
• In reaching an ethical decision, good is the weighed against evil
• A decision that maximizes the ration of good over evil for all those
concerned is the ethical course.

7. Branches of Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism
Act - utilitarianism Rule - utilitarianism
One’s goal is to identify the
consequences of a particular act
to determine whether it is right or
wrong
Requires one to adhere to all the
rules of conduct by which society
reaps the greatest value
When faced with a choice, we must
first consider the likely consequences
of potential actions and , from that,
choose to do what we believe will
generate most pleasure.
May be forced to shun a particular act
that would result in greater
immediate good in favour of
upholding a broader rule that result in
the greater total good over time.
To determine whether a rule should
be followed, he looks at what would
happen if it were constantly followed.

8. Deontology ethics
• Also known as Kantian Ethics / Formalism
• To the deontologist, principle is the primary and consequence is
secondary or even irrelevant.
• Maximizing right rather than good is the deontological standard
• Is an approach to ethics that holds that acts are inherently good or
evil, regardless of the consequences of the acts
• Our obligation or duty is to take the right action, even if the
consequences of a given act may be bad.

9. Deontology ethics
• The deontologist might well refuse to lie event if doing so would
maximize good.
• Deontology derived from Greek word meaning “duty”
• It is directed towards ‘what ought to be’ & ‘what is right’
• Relationship among people are important because they give rise to
duties.
• Deontology considers motives, and focus on the act itself while
disregards consequences

10. Deontology ethics
• The German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1974-1804) develop
perhaps the most persuasive and fully articulated vision of ethics as
measured not by consequence (teleological) but by the rightness of
rules
• Kant believed in the key moral concept of goodwill
• The moral person is a person of goodwill and that person renders
ethical decisions based on what is right, regardless of the
consequences of the decision.

11. Deontology ethics (examples)
• A father may be morally committed to saving his son from a burning
building, rather than saving another person who might well do more
total good for society.
• Why a crime was committed may be more important than the actual
consequences of the crime
• The students who refuses to cheat on exams is morally worthy if his
or her decision springs from duty. But it will morally unworthy if the
decision is merely one born of self-interest, such as fear to be caught.

12. Comparison between egoism, utilitarianism &
deontology
EGOISM UTILITARIANISM DEONTOLOGY
CONTRIBUTIORS Adam Smith Jeremy Bentham,
John Stuart Mill
Immanuel Kant
FOCUS Individual desires or
interest
Collective welfare Duties
RULES Maximization of desires/
self interest
Act/ rule utilitarianism Categorical imperative
CONCEPT OF HUMAN
BEING
Man as an actor with
limited knowledge and
objectives
Man is controlled by
avoidance of pain and
gain of pleasure
Man is rational
Moral actor

13. Ethics form religious perspectives
• Islamic Ethics : Ethics of the Soul
• Islam is derived from an Arabic word Salema which means, peace, purity
submission and obedience.
• Islamic ethics takes a God-centred view and emphasizes on the importance of
integrating worldly affairs with religion
• The Five Pillars of Islam:
Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophet hood of
Muhammad (shahadah)
Establishment of the daily prayers (5 times a day)
Concern for and almsgiving to the needy (zakat)
Self-purification through fasting (fasting in the month of Ramadhan)
The pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able

14. Ethics form religious perspectives
• Islamic Ethics : Ethics of the Soul
• The Six Pillars of Iman (Faith or belief)
Belief in Allah
Belief in the angels
 Belief in the revealed books
Belief in the commissioned Messengers (peace be upon them)
 Belief in the predestination by Allah of all things, both the (seemingly) good
and the (seemingly) bad
Belief in the resurrection and the events of Qiyamah

15. Ethics form religious perspectives
• Buddhist Ethics
• Buddhism comes from the word budhi which means to awaken.
• The foundation of Buddhism is the Pancasila
• The basic concepts of Buddhism can be summarized by the Four Noble Truths
and the Noble Eightfold Path.
• Four Noble Truths:
Life is suffering – buddhist ethics explain how suffering can be avoided in
order to achieve true happiness
Suffering is caused by craving and aversion – instead of constantly struggling
to get what we want, we should try to modify our wants.

16. Ethics form religious perspectives
Suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained; that happiness
and contentment in the true sense are thus possible. When we give up
useless craving and learn to live each day at a time (not dwelling in the past or
the imagined future), then we can become happy and free. We then have
more time and energy to help others. This is Nirvana.
The Noble Eightfold Paths is the path which leads to the end of suffering. The
threading of the Noble Eightfold Path is essential to self-deliverance.

17. Ethics form religious perspectives
• Buddhist Ethics
• Noble Eightfold Path:
1. Right views or preliminary understanding
2. Right aims or motives
3. Right speech
4. Right acts
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right concentration or mind development
8. Right Samadhi, leading to full enlightenment.

18. Ethics form religious perspectives
• Christian Ethics
• Christianity vies humans as unique products of a divine intervention that have been
endowed with consciousness and the ability to love.
• Christian ethics stress on the need for love, grace, mercy and forgiveness because of
sin.
• The key principles of Christianity (i.e. the Kingdom of Heaven where Christ is King
according to Scripture) are based on the following:
Humility or faith and trust in God
Communication with God through prayer and self-denial
Observance of The Law which is written in Scripture and in the hearts of those who
love the truth
The offering of sacrifice of God and partaking of the sacrificial offering (various
animal and bird offering in the Old Testament, the Lamb of God in the New
Testament, the sacrifice of the Mass in the Catholic Church)

19. Ethics form religious perspectives
• Hindu Ethics
• Hinduism is related to reincarnation, a way of expressing the need for
reciprocity.
• Hindu ethics places emphasis on one’s intention, summarized as the doctrine
of karma yoga.
• Kindness and hospitality are key Hindu values.
• The basic philosophy of Hinduism is that God is Omnipresent and
Omnipotent, God appears in everything, living and non-living.

20. Ethics form religious perspectives
• Hindu Ethics
• Hinduism has different strata of spirituality.
Hindu goes to a temple and worships the idol
Level when one prays to Him with prayers in
any language and sings His praise
One renounces all these ‘guides’ to reaching
Him and directly meditates thinking of the
Supreme Divine or Brahman
The highest level
The middle level
The lowest level

21. The importance of Managing Businesses
Ethically
• To keep existing customers
• To attract new customers
• To avoid lawsuits
• To reduce employee turnover
• To please customers, employees and society

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Please be prepare for chapter 3