Faith Curricula Library: Tapestry of Faith: Virtue Ethics: An Ethical Development Program for High School Youth

Handout 1: Ethical Theories Chart

Immanuel Kant (1724 -1804) was a German philosopher. Aristotle (384 BCE-322 BCE) was a Greek philosopher.

Moral system	Consequentialism: An action is right if it produces best consequence	Deontology: An action is right if it follows a moral rule	Virtue Ethics: An action is right if it is what a virtuous person would do in the situation
Ethic is based on …	Ethic of conduct	Ethic of conduct	Ethic of character
Example of a theory	Utilitarianism	Kantianism	Aristotelianism
Question asked	How do I get what is best for society?	What is the rational thing to do?	What is the best kind of person to be?
Right and wrong	The action is right if it results in the best consequence.	The action is right if it fits the moral code, no matter the consequence.	The action is right if it embodies the greatest virtue.

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