Ethical Theories
The main ethical theories used by opponents and supporters in this controversy are consequentialism (utilitarianism) and deontological ethics. Consequentialism is the ethical theory that assess the rightness or wrongness of a certain action based on the desirability of the results or the consequences of the action. In this theory good actions are actions that brings happiness or pleasure to the largest number of people. Unlike consequentialism, deontological ethics primary concern is the action in its self. The word Deon is a Greek word that means duty or obligation. This ethical theory judges the wrongness or rightness of an action based on the conformity of that action with certain norms or principals. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher expressed his deontological theory using the categorical imperatives. These categorical imperatives are principles that serve to guide the conduct of people. One of Kant’s categorical imperatives says, “always treat persons as ends in themselves and not merely as means to some other end.” If we give to the human embryo the moral status of a person, then under this principle it will be wrong to destroy the human embryo to save the lives of others.
Read more about this topic: Stem Cell Controversy
Famous quotes containing the words ethical and/or theories:
“Everywhere, the ethical predicament of our time imposes itself with an urgency which suggests that even the question “Have we anything to eat?” will be answered not in material but in ethical terms.”
—Hugo Ball (1886–1927)
“The two most far-reaching critical theories at the beginning of the latest phase of industrial society were those of Marx and Freud. Marx showed the moving powers and the conflicts in the social-historical process. Freud aimed at the critical uncovering of the inner conflicts. Both worked for the liberation of man, even though Marx’s concept was more comprehensive and less time-bound than Freud’s.”
—Erich Fromm (1900–1980)