Module 1. Philosophy Case Response. Social Sciences Essay

Moral Philosophy
Institution
Moral Philosophy
Moral philosophy can be categorized into numerous way but the most notable categories include Kant's deontological theory, utilitarianism, and the virtue ethics approach pioneered by Aristotle (Khalid et al., 2017). Besides, natural rights theory also plays an important role in shaping peoples’ moral conduct and it is strengthened by the legal rights adopted by most governments. Jim’s encounter with the Indians is quite unfortunate and no one would ever wish to find themselves in such a scenario. The most ideal approach in Jim's case would be the one that preserves most lives. Below is an evaluation of how different moral theorists would respond to Jim’s case.
The utilitarian approach, otherwise referred to as the consequential ethics, prevails primarily based on the consequences of the action. According to Shim et al., (2017), consequential ethics would grant the pursuance of action regardless of whether it is wrong or right provided the outcome is relatively good. Jim's failure to take the responsibility would result in a greater loss and this, by all means, goes against the values upheld by the utilitarian approach, which aims at attaining a greater good for many. A utilitarian would certainly not hesitate to tell Jim to do as ordered by the captain to save the lives of the majority of the Indians as well as his own.
Unlike the utilitarian approach, which bases morality on the consequences, Kantian philosophy mainly focuses on the duty that one ought to fulfill. The concept of moral law is also upheld in this theory (Shim et al., 2017). In essence, the deontological approach seems to bind together the ethical reasoning with the natural right theory. In regards to Jim's scenario, a Kantian ...