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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 15 page paper examines these theorists' views. Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and Kant's On a Supposed Right to lie Because of Philanthropic Concerns are compared and contrasted. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Page Count:
15 pages (~225 words per page)
File: RT13_SA845ak.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
all, it does seem to be the case that it is important to come up with parameters from which people can make ethical choices. On the other hand, Kants categorical
imperative is rather structured and extreme. For Kant, "the rightness of an action... (is)... a matter of whether the maxim or underlying purpose of the action is one which could
be consistently willed (or imagined) to govern everyones behavior-though some Kantians may prefer to say, instead, that acts are right if they dont involve threatening anyone merely as a means,
which idea has seemed promising to many, but is quite obviously in need of expansion1." This is essentially a description and discussion of Kants categorical imperative. With the categorical
imperative, things are right or wrong, or black and white. He wrote "On a Supposed Right to Lie Because of Philanthropic Concerns in answer to Philanthropic Concerns" to respond to
a criticism on his ethical theory. Thus, he defended the categorical imperative, saying that yes, it is always wrong to lie and that there are no exceptions. Obviously, many people
would have a problem with this notion because there do appear to be situations when lying is preferred. Even in mundane areas of life, white lies can protect people from
hurt feelings. They can be used to motivate others to do good things. There are sometimes reasons to lie. On the other hand, one must also look at religious fundamentalists
who take the word of the Bible literally. There are certainly people who see things in these black and white terms and know of nothing else. There is some chance
that this view is correct. After all, if there are universal laws, or if the Bible is actually correct, then there is an objective reality. Things might be black and
...