Types of Ethical Theories

1. Utilitarian

Suppose two men are climbing a very challenging mountain when one suffers terminal injuries in a fall. Before he dies, the injured climber gives his partner the password to his secret Swiss bank account after the partner promises to use the hundreds of thousands of dollars stored there to give the dying man's children the best education money can buy. When the surviving climber returns, he learns that the dead man's children already have enough money in their trust fund to attend Texas A&M, so he takes the money from the Swiss bank and gives it to a charity that provides basic medical care to impoverished people in India.

2. Rights Ethics

A. Oprah Winfrey is currently being sued by a group of cattle ranchers from Amarillo, Texas under a newly enacted Texas statute that creates legal liability for questioning a perishable food’s safety without “sound scientific proof.” Twelve other states have enacted similar laws. Oprah’s case, however, is the first of its kind. On April 16, 1996 the price of cattle dropped a dramatic 1.5 cents per pound on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange after Oprah’s program that day. The program, which occurred during the time that the British “mad cow” epidemic broke as big news, dealt with the safety of American beef. Oprah’s guest, a former cattle rancher turned vegetarian, claimed that large numbers of cows that are “fine at night, dead in the morning” get ground and fed to other animals. According to the cattle ranchers who sued Oprah there is no evidence of mad cow disease in the United States. They protest that the “Oprah crash” on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange resulted in devastating financial loss for cattle ranchers. This case exhibits fundamental right for free speech.

B. A person may say that her friend may borrow the car for the afternoon. The friend who was given the ability to borrow the car now has a right to the car in the afternoon.

3. Duty Ethics

2LT Shane Casey's infantry platoon has been on patrolling operations for five days in Vietnams Central Highlands. The men are filthy and bone-tired after running contacts with enemy elements and long nights of half-on, half-off duty. In the morning they will consolidate with other elements of the company and move to landing zones about three miles to the south for helicopter pick-up. Late that afternoon, as they moved to the position they are to establish for the night, they encountered a group of Vietnamese civilians, about 30 older men and women with a few children. Your Vietnamese chieu hoi (former VC who, after being captured, has joined the ARVN, South Vietnamese military) translates and tells you that the civilians are fleeing the battle area to a province on the coast after an NVA battalion moved into their village and collected most of the inhabitants for supply transport duty. They have no food or supplies of any kind. The civilians are physically spent and in bad shape. A number of them need medical attention for wounds. The platoon medic has only a basic supply of medical items that he carries in the pack on his back.

The platoon sergeant has just suggested helping the Vietnamese. He wants to collect the rations that were airdropped yesterday and distributed and give them to the group of Vietnamese. He noted that they have a long way to travel to get out of the Highlands to the coastal province. He also stated that some medical assistance would be a good idea. One of the squad leaders responded immediately that the platoon needs to keep its food, that anything could happen between now and the time the company is picked up tomorrow. He is especially incensed about the platoon sergeants suggestion about using the medical supplies. In the heavy jungle of the Highlands, resupply and evacuation of casualties are problematic. Many of the infrequent open areas are under observation by the NVA, often with anitaircraft MGs in position.

4. Virtue Ethics

A person plagiarized a passage that was later detected by a peer, the peer who knows the person well will understand the person's character and will be able to judge the friend. If the plagiarizer normally follows the rules and has good standing amongst his colleagues, the peer who encounters the plagiarized passage may be able to judge his friend more leniently. Perhaps the researcher had a late night and simply forgot to credit his or her source appropriately. Conversely, a person who has a reputation for scientific misconduct is more likely to be judged harshly for plagiarizing because of his consistent past of unethical behavior.

5. Self-realization

A. Every year, some people hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail or bike across the United States or attempt to achieve a feat for the Guinness Book of World Records.