Systems of Ethics

We can integrate ethical systems on the basis of the structure of action. Ethical reflection can begin with the acting subject, the action itself, or the outcome. Another consideration is the field of application: What actions can be subjected to ethical considerations? (Sneezing or falling from a tree is not an ethical act.) Furthermore, does ethics only apply to actions between subjects, like in the case of lying, or does it extend to other objects, like trees, animals, landscapes, etc.? Is cutting down a tree, or slaughtering an animal, an action that can be subjected to ethical consideration? If so, why? 

The table below compares five different approaches to ethics: Relativism, Religious ethics, utlitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics.

Utilitarianism:


Ethical Reasoning through Game Theory?