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This suggests – Listing some good traits - What are some examples?
Trust
Moral
Humble
Selfless
Honest
How to improve these traits?
It takes continuous practice. A person must know when someone else does not deserve these traits. Eventually, a person with these traits will be able to judge when it is necessary to display them.
Does an ethical person get there by 1) Following the right rules (deontological ethics)? Or 2) Getting positive results (utilitarian ethics)?
Deontological ethics. Every situation may not turn out the way it is expected to. There are too many factors to account for to be wary of that. Therefore, the effort to do something ethical by the right means is more respectable. Many atrocities can be committed on the path to getting positive results through utilitarian ethics.
Do you lean more toward utilitarianism or deontology?
Deontology.
Scenario a: A hungry homeless person asks for food money
Were you ethical? (Utilitarianism vs. Deontologism vs. Virtue)
Yes. Give the homeless person the money because regardless of whether they use it to get drunk or not your method was pure and your intentions were good. (Deontologism)
Scenario b: You refuse and offer him a job
Were you ethical? (Utilitarianism vs. Deontologism vs. Virtue)
Yes. Offer the homeless person the job because the method of approach is good and what is being offered is better. If the homeless person whether the homeless person gets sick or not the intended outcome was good. (Deontologism)
“The ends justify the means”
Do they? (Utilitarianism vs. Deontologism vs. Virtue)
No. If the means involved doing things that would harm other people then that does not justify the end. The method to get there matters.
Is the concept of “a war to end all wars” ethical?
No. Humans will fight forever whether it be over the smallest or largest thing. A war to end all wars would either involve killing the opposition or suppressing them to the point that they might as well be dead.
What is the Golden Rule?
Treat others how you want to be treated.
Does The Declaration of Independence contain the categorical imperative?
Well, it does. But we all know that for a long period of time it was not upheld.
What do you think of the categorical imperative?
It is idealistic. It is not wrong to think the way Kant does. However, to think everyone will is not realistic.
What about punishing “pre-crime” as in the movie “Minority Report”?
It would be a deontological approach. The crime may not have been committed entirely but the intent was to commit the crime. Punishing the intent is the better way to go about it.
How is this an example of the deontological, utilitarian, and/or virtue approach to ethics? The rule to prevent harm is utilitarian. The rest is mostly deontological. The rest of the outdoor ethics is meant to prevent the process that would lead to destruction and harm in the park.
So what should we do? What about virtue ethics for these questions?
There should be an equal balance between all three. Deontology covers the ethics of the process to the end. Utilitarianism covers the ethics of the end. And virtue should be defined by the combination of both deontology and utilitarianism.
Ends vs. means:
Which is the focus of deontological ethics?
Means
Which is the focus of utilitarian ethics?
Ends
