What Is a Moral Theory?
Before looking more closely at individual moral theories, we should start with a defi nition of what a moral theory is and how it functions. A moral theory defi nes terms in uniform ways and links ideas and problems together in consistent ways [ Harris, Pritchard, and Rabins, 2000 ]. This is exactly how the scientifi c theories used in other engineering classes function. Scientifi c theories also organize ideas, defi ne terms, and facilitate problem solving. So, we will use moral theories in exactly the same way that engineering theories are used in other classes.
There are four ethical theories that will be considered here, each differing according to what is held to be the most important moral concept. Utilitarianism seeks to produce the most utility, defi ned as a balance between good and bad consequences of an action, taking into account the consequences for everyone affected. A different approach is provided by duty ethics. Duty ethics contends that there are duties that should be performed (for example, the duty to treat others fairly or the duty not to injure others) regardless of whether these acts lead to the most good. Rights ethics emphasizes that we all have moral rights, and any action that violates these rights is ethically unacceptable. Like duty ethics, the ultimate overall good of the actions is not taken into account. Finally, virtue ethics regards actions as right that manifest good character traits (virtues) and regards actions as bad that display bad character traits (vices); this ethical theory focuses on the type of person we should strive to be.