Dvine Command Theory Claims System †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Dvine Command Theory Claims System. Answer: Introduction: The Dvine Command Theory claims that God is the ultimate authority and his commands should be regarded as the ulterior source of ethical commands that should determine the course of human action (McLachlan, 2009). The divine commands should be followed regardless of the consequences, as Gods commands are the only sources of ethics, to be followed. Moral good is completely dependent on God and divine commands. The Kantian Duty Ethis theory, however, states that an action can be inherently right or it can be inherently wrong, regardless of the consequence it may have. Right course of actions should be pursued simply because they are the right things to do, and wrong course of action should be dismissed because they are wrong, and the wrong action must be avoided, even if the wrong action may not necessarily lead to bad consequence. If an action is right, one should do it, even if it may produce wrong or harmful consequences. Aristotles Virtue Ethics Theory states that an individual who is willing to lead a noble and ethical life, must ensure that he follows the ideal character traits as followed by any other virtuous person in his life. The character of a virtuous person develops through his habit, and thus his ethical nature is not a gifted quality, but rather an acquired skill. Prudence, justice, temperance and courage are the four important virtues that a person must imbibe, if he wishes to lead an ethical life. Socrates Teleological theory adopts a consequentialist approach, and states that while determining the moral value of an action, the moral intent with which an action is performed, does not deserve serious consideration, and rather the ultimate consequence of the action will determine its moral value (McLachlan, 2009). If the end of an action is good or desirable, the action should be performed, and should be regarded as ethically right, while in case the end of an action is not good, even if the action had a noble intent, it will fail to qualify as a moral action. The action has no moral value, but its end has. Again, Utilitarinaism states that the moral value of an action is dependent on its ability to produce results that can ensure utility for maximum number of people. Utility of an action can be defined as the sum of pleasure derived through an action minus the suffering of one or more than one person involved in the action. The moral value of any action is solely dependent on the effect produced on the mass of people, and its ability in generating maximum welfare amongst the members of the community involved. Enlightened self-interest theory of ethics is an important theory that states that anyone who wishes and works for furthering the interest of others, ends up serving their own interests as well. By doing good to others, an individual can easily assure a good life for himself. When an individual decides to enhance another persons quality of life, the quality of his own life will also enhance in the process. Again, Contrarianism is a theory of belief which asks people to take up actions contrary to popular beliefs and ideals (McLachlan, 2009). A contrarian is anyone who holds a position contrary to the consensus position. This theory helps in questioning the traditional values rather than conforming to them. Feminist Ethics is a belief which states that the traditional theorists have always undermined the womens perspectives about moral value of actions. The traditional ethics focuses primarily on male perspectives on ethics with little or no regard to female point of view. It is highl y important to revise, re-formulate as well as rethink the traditional ethics so that the moral experiences of women do not remain undervalued. Reference List: McLachlan, J. (2009).The Right Choice: Making Ethical Decisions on the Job. Toronto: Pearson-Prentice Hall.