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Immanuel Kant's Ethics Of Right And The Ethics Of Justice

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‘Ethical theories are the rules and principles that determine right and wrong for any given situation’ according to Crane and Matten (2004:76). Its contribution is either relativists which is what is right or wrong relying on the moral norms of our society such as, our culture or absolutists which is deciding what is right or wrong regarding the act, for instance, murder. However, absolutists is divided into Consequentialists (Teleological) which consists of Utilitarianism and ethical egoism and the Non-consequential (Deontological) which consists of divine command theories, Kant’s ethics of duty, virtue ethics, justice approach and the rights approach.

The contribution to our understanding of ethical problems offered by 3 different ethical theories: Kant’s ethics of duty, the ethics of right and the ethics of justice. Firstly, Kant’s ethics of duty is defined by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Kant, I method to ethics is to shed lights on what humans are capable of doing which is necessarily our motives and intentions, we cannot be entirely responsible for our actions because it might be effected by accidental circumstances. However, the action is right and good only if the person doing it is motivated by ‘good will’ which applies to the actions done for reasons of principle or sense of duty, not self-interest, sympathy or kindness.

Furthermore, Kant’s categorical imperative is the best known expression of his ethical approach, it applies to a
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