Leadership Skills

Ethical Schools of Thought

Most poeple do not identify their ethical beliefs with a specific school of thought because most of us make our decisions based on our experiences and values. Normative ethics are standards that can be used to assess whether an action would be right or wrong. The schools of thought listed here are those that are commonly cited. Please note that you may not believe in some of these schools, and that is perfectly fine; however, you should know that these schools of thought exist because other people may reference them in their case analyses.

Ethical Schools of Thought

• Absolutism: These are societal norms that are set and cannot be changed. These rules determine right and wrong.
• Causistic Ethics: This is when a situation (or case) causes conflicts with ethical beliefs. In this instance, parts from different schools may be combined to create a modified model that fits the situation.
• Deontological Ethics: This is from the Greek word meaning obligation or duty; therefore, a person who is doing his or her duty is behaving ethically.
• Egalitarianism: This is based on equality, and that means that justice and opportunities are distributed equitably to everyone.
• Empiristic: This concept is based on statistics that can be used to verify truths. Those actions that are most frequent are those that are considered good.
• Ethics by Norms: These are actions that can always be applied in any place, time, or culture. One example would be the Ten Commandments.
• Ethics of Responsibility: Individually, we are responsible for our actions and the consequences from those actions.
• Hedonism: The concept behind hedonism is that seeking pleasure and happiness is good whereas pain and suffering are bad.
• Natural Law: This is the belief that there is a natural order in the world that must be maintained. The goal is for the person to be in harmony with the natural system.
• Pragmatism: This concept is based on the belief that the most effective and efficient results are ethically best.
• Situational Ethics: Each situation is viewed independently from other situations. Humans must determine the appropriate action without relying on a standard set of norms or laws.
• Stoicism: This belief is based on an individual's contentment and serenity. This concept maintains that peace of mind and self-mastery over desires and emotions creates the greatest good.
• Teleological Ethics: This comes from the Greek word meaning end. The outcome, or end, of the action determins the act. Think of the phrase, "the end justifies the means." This is also known as consequentialism.
• Utilitarianism: This is when there is the greatest good for the most people, i.e., what is the most useful..
• Virtue Ethics: This is based on Plato's and Aristotle's Cardinal Virtues of justice, prudence, fortitude, and temperance. The concept is that a person with good habits (the virtues) will act ethically.

There are likely more ethical schools of thought, but these cover the basics.