Conversation Timeline

Normative ethical theories provide frameworks for determining what actions are morally right or wrong. The main types are:

1. Deontological Ethics: Focuses on duty and rules. Actions are judged based on their adherence to these duties, regardless of consequences (e.g., Kant’s Categorical Imperative).

2. Consequentialism: Judges actions by their outcomes. The most well-known form is Utilitarianism, which seeks the greatest good for the greatest number.

3. Virtue Ethics: Emphasizes character and virtues rather than rules or outcomes. It asks what a virtuous person would do in a given situation (e.g., Aristotle’s emphasis on virtues like courage and wisdom).

4. Rights-Based Ethics: Centers on the rights of individuals. Actions are right if they respect and protect these rights (e.g., human rights theories).

Each theory offers a different lens for evaluating moral decisions.