Thomas Hobbes Psychological Egoism

Psychological egoism is the position that we always do that act that we perceive to be in our own best self-interest. That is, we have no choice but to be selfish. We cannot be motivated by anything other than what ..

Aristotle’s Concept of Good Life

Aristotle’s understanding of “ethics” has more to do with what makes life worth living than with obedience to the moral law. Aristotle refers to the rational activity that will make us happy as virtuous activity. We shall be happy, he ..

Plato’s cardinal virtues

According to the old Greek thinkers, there are in all seven virtues of which four are called Cardinal Virtues while rest three are called Theological virtues. The “Cardinal” ones are those which all civilised people recognise. The “Theological” are those ..

Elements of Ethical Competency

A public servant needs to be ethically competent. An ethically competent public servant has commitment to high standards of personal and professional behaviour; has knowledge of relevant ethics, codes and laws; has the ability to engage in ethical reasoning when ..

Approaches to Ethical Decision Making

To arrive at ethical decisions during complex situations, the various dimensions to study of ethics are helpful. Such dimensions include Utilitarian approach, Rights approach, Justice Approach, Common Good approach and Virtue approach. Utilitarian Approach The concept of Utilitarianism was given ..

Ethical Foundation of Human Actions

There are two main groups of ethical theories of human actions viz. deontological approach {based on human action itself} and teleological approach {based on consequences of human actions}. Comparison of Deontological and Teleological Approach We have discussed these approaches while ..

Dimensions / Branches of Ethics

The four main branches of ethics include descriptive ethics, normative ethics, meta-ethics and applied ethics. They have been discussed in brief here: Descriptive Ethics Descriptive ethics deals with what people actually believe (or made to believe) to be right or ..

Nature And Scope Of Ethics

Ethics {origin from Greek word Ethikos} is a key branch of philosophy, concerned with systematic study of right or wrong human actions & conduct in the backdrop of standards or moral principles set by society.  Thus, it refers to one’s ..