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Marcus Aurelius: An Ethical Analysis

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Ethics is the branch of philosophy that delves into the nature of good, bad, right and wrong. Ethics deal with an individual’s moral principles. An ethical theory helps us in addressing questions like- What is right and what is wrong? Is this good or bad? Ethical theories help us define good, bad, right and wrong. They help us understand why a decision, thing or thought is good, bad, right or wrong. We can approach these ethical theories by trying to understand them and then analysing the extent to which the theory is beneficial, we can approach them by thinking about the cons and loopholes that the theory has. Let’s look at some ethical theories like Utilitarianism, The categorical Imperative, Virtue Ethics, and Ethical Egoism.

Utilitarianism …show more content…

One should think about what kind of person one should want to be and how that person would act in the given situation. According to Aristotle, the greatest good for humans is happiness, and a happy life is a life lived virtuously. As Marcus Aurelius said “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.” (“Marcus Aurelius Quotes”) This quote is basically saying that happiness comes from virtuous thoughts, and that one should only entertain thoughts that would be deemed virtuous by the ideal (truly virtuous) man. Virtue ethics can lead to better people and more happiness in general. If everyone were to start following virtue ethics, crime would be nonexistent, everyone would treat each other with respect and compassion, and the world would be a better place; however, everyone has a different definition of the truly virtuous man. What might be the most virtuous thing to do according to one person might be a crime according to another person. Virtue ethics deals with how a person should act, not how a person’s actions should affect others. This can lead to problems as well. In all, virtue ethics is a strong ethical theory but it’s not

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