Secular/non-religious ethics

Consequentialism
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism emphasizes happiness or pleasure or utility as the desirable goal for
human choice and action. The paragraph refers to the former variety which disregards
rules if they are absolute, calculating happiness in term of the consequences and acts.
Such a view has radical implications because it opens up for review any conventional or
revealed morality which is insisted upon regardless of its consequences. Utilitarianism
challenges subjectivist views based on subjective approval and disapproval; similarly it
changes cultural and ethical relativism when that implies that acts generally approve by
a particular society are right and those disapproved are wrong.
When presses as to why we should not break promises it might eventually be concede
that the consequences of not following that rule are unacceptable for marriage or for
democracy or for the other fiduciary relationships of society. Take the case of a medical
doctor who is the only medico in a isolated area. This practitioner has a deontological
based conscience (nature of duty and obligation) objection to abortion. She is faced with
a woman patient with a 15-week pregnancy who insists that, because of her isolation, if
the doctor will not perform an abortion on her she will resort to assistance and methods
to effect the abortion that the doctor know could have severe medical complications. If
the doctor precedes with the abortion and follows the medical injunction to act for the
patients welfare she might cite as a reason the consequential health of the mother.

Christian ethics

Catholic ethics Protes

ethics
Natural Law and Virtue theory Aquinas and Gospel Values Situati
essentialism Natural Law Jesus taught an ethics
ethic completely
integrated with his
religion.
Jesus laid primary
stress on ethical
and spiritual
inwardness.
Jesus set forth a
clear pattern of the
demands of the
God centred life.
Jesus declared the
supreme with of
every person to
God.
The central
 teaching of Jesus
was the kingdom of
God.

With natural law Virtue Natural Law Christian ethics is Situati

there has been a theorists If this self rooted in the Bible, ethics
tendency to doubt gave into but not equally in all broadl
identify the whether desires parts of it, the New compa
demands of the ethical which were Testament being our with
natural law with life is based on more definitive point utilitar
physical or necessaril impulse and of reference. It was Like ot
biological y based on were not said, furthermore, that forms
processes. a set of rational, within the New conseq
The function of principles then it Testament no final sm, sit
reason was then to or rules of became authority is to be ethics
read off the reason enslaved. It located in particular propos
requirement of the which was possible words or passages but thical
natural law by require to deduce rather in the total decisio
inspecting such deliberatio the natural picture it gives of the made
processes. But this n and or cardinal person and work of contex
is to conceive of calculation virtues our Lord, the life, accoun
the person as . (prudence, teachings, ministry, specifi
consisting of two Virtue temperance, and death of Jesus circum
layers, a bottom theory fortitude and Christ as the , not
layer if animality, suggests justice, taken revelation of God. abstra
and a top layer of that the from Virtue accord
rationality. central theory). It is not difficult to de-
One must ethical The Ten summarize with a far contex
therefore start with question is Commandme degree of conciseness maxim
what is proper for not what nts were the principal ethical In situ
humans, and ought we held to be teachings of Jesus. ethics
rationality must to do. But examples of They are not stated good i
guide the whole rather, natural systematically or in a which
person. we ought virtues with developing logical loving
It did therefore to the sequence, as a intend
become. exception of philosopher might which
come as a surprise
Here the keeping the state them, but over maxim
that in the
focus is on Sabbath. and over again they loving
encyclical of Paul
personal These appear. conseq
VI Humanae Vitae
disposition natural The two Great . For Jo
(1967) the
and virtues are Commandments, Fletch
traditional
character, amplified by where the duty of love the en
teaching of the
the moral the revealed of neighbour is not an justify
Church
qualities of virtues (of addendum to the means
condemning
a person. faith, hope obligation to love God that en
artificial means of
It is the and charity). without reservation, Situati
contraception was
good The starting but is an implicate of ethics
reaffirmed. For the
person point for all it. It appears that no
argumentation had
who knows advocated of repeatedly both in good i
a pre- Vatican II air.
 It started out from and does natural law is Jesus words and in itself e
a reading of the the right to work out the total tenor of his for lov
biological nature of thing. the PURPOSE life. It was his sense ofAction
human beings and It also of human calling by God that led good w
directly inferred bears life. For him at the beginning they b
the absolute upon the Aquinas, this of his ministry to read human
inadmissibility of concern purpose in the synagogue the and w
artificial means of that included to words of Isaiah. when
contraception. It despite live, AS well as many other are hu
did not set that our reproduce, to passages indicate that Critics
reading in the reasoning learn, or to his chief concern was out tha
context of the about have an with right attitudes horrific
whole person. what is ordered from which right acts may b
Furthermore, the right or society and might proceed. justifie
appeal is solely to good, we to worship In the gentler tones in the
reason; there is no may still God. this is also the burden love.
attempt to relate not choose All men will of the Sermon on the In add
the thinking to the to do the the good, Mount where, without Fletch
context of the right or but this does any abrogating of the formu
biblical witness. good. not mean, as Ten Commandments, is too
Many Catholics The aim of might seem the emphasis is indivi
found acceptance the theory to be shifted away from c. The
of the is to foster implied, that legalism to those inner exam
argumentation living well everything attitudes that uses a
very difficult, and so that that humans determine the nature invari
in practice the good and will is good. of a man, and hence perso
papal ruling was right Human his acts. decisi
widely ignored. behaviour beings may sexua
Objective moral emanates seek some By clear pattern is not, moral
commandment, from apparent of course, meant a medic
given by God within the good, but blueprint or easily ethics
through human person. this may not applicable set of rules. Situat
nature. They are Happiness be a true But that we can today ethics
absolute, is the goal good. It may speak of Christian need
admitting of no of human be only an virtues is due to the more
exception. They life, but by apparent fact that one who adequ
are universal, happiness good reads the Gospels theor
and they are he means because it seriously is lift in no justic
immutable something does not doubt as to the the
valid for all more than conform to general structure of subst
people at all we usually the what a life lived in serve
times. This is mean by perfection of obedient love would ethic
especially true that term. the human embody. We see it In social
of certain moral It is not a nature which Jesus himself; we find moral
commandments state of all human it on every page of the public
which prohibit pleasurabl beings share. record; it is
intrinsically evil e or self- epitmoized in the
acts. He cites as indulgent Beatitudes. Its primary
examples euphoria qualities are a God-
 genocide, but rather centred faith and love.
homicide, a state of Its derivatice aspects
abortion and contentme are purity of heart
euthanasia, nt, a life sincerity, humility,
among other integrated forgiveness , love
things. happily toward enemies,
In particular, the with a mercy, charity in
Pope not only sense of judgement, honesty in
affirms the purpose, speech and action,
traditional lived out sexual prutiy,
teaching on in renunciation of worldly
contraception, community aims with the
but sees no need . preferring of spiritual
to rehearse the to material treasure,
arguments. compassion toward
Contraception those in need.
simply sets
freedom and
nature at odds.
It contradicts
the moral order
and is therefore
unworthy of
human beings,
even if the
intention is to
protect or
promote the
welfare of an
individual, of a
family, or of
society in
general. This
begs the
question of the
context of the
conjugal act in
the relationship
between
husband and
wife as an end of
marriage.