Ethical Theory Paper Elijah Kim What is the meaning of being a human? What is the meaning of being a good person? What is good? And why do we have to be good? The word ethic carries many implications and foundations. In Christianity, God creates this universe, earth, and man/woman in "his" image. However, the Human is not God and made many ethical mistakes that ask God for forgiveness. "Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things." (Romans 2:1). No human being is innocent in front of God and not allow to judge each other. The ethical theory sets the foundation for a "right human being" and has numerous ways to break down. Ethical theory "is the systematic effort to understand moral concepts and justify moral principles and theories" (Fieser 2017), which means the study of Right Action. This "Right Action" can be divide into three different divisions. Metaethics can be defined as a God's view. For many religious believers and religious cultures, the Metaethics can be easily found. However, people who do not believe in a higher power or bird view have a problem with divine command metaethics (Morriston 2009). In the Metaethics view, moral obligations are taught and fixed by religious belief. For the non-religious believers there Metaethics can be set by the Karma they heard of or the own belief system. Just because of believing in religious belief and Karma, Metaethics do not take the basics from realism or antirealism. Instead, it contains the focused theories (Davis 2021). Moral Realism in Metaethics asses the meaning of the moral. Moral realism is the position of right and wrong in a variety of situations. Religions like Christianity made committed to moral realism for three different reasons. First, "constructivists tend to attribute moral facts to agents as their origin" (Jung 2015). In Christianity bible has the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. These Ten Commandments are the fundamental moral value of Christian belief and set the standard. Commandments like "Thou shalt not commit adultery" and "Thou shalt not kill" are the well-known rule as a "basic human being." Like the last sentence, the bible has a clear example of do's and don'ts, right/ wrong. The bible also advised what evil (bad) can affect the person "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Corinthians 15:33). Many religious people believe in God's purpose. An example of Christianity, Genesis advised, Human were made to glorify God and his creation. Adam and Eve were also created to manage God's creation. "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). The explicit purpose gave men and women a clear vision of life and motivated them to stay in God's ...

1. Ethical Theory Paper
Elijah Kim
What is the meaning of being a human? What is the meaning of
being a good person? What is good? And why do we have to be
good? The word ethic carries many implications and
foundations. In Christianity, God creates this universe, earth,
and man/woman in "his" image. However, the Human is not God
and made many ethical mistakes that ask God for forgiveness.
"Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who
judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself;
for you who judge practice the same things." (Romans 2:1). No
human being is innocent in front of God and not allow to judge
each other. The ethical theory sets the foundation for a "right
human being" and has numerous ways to break down.
Ethical theory "is the systematic effort to understand moral
concepts and justify moral principles and theories" (Fieser
2017), which means the study of Right Action. This "Right
Action" can be divide into three different divisions. Metaethics
can be defined as a God's view. For many religious believers
and religious cultures, the Metaethics can be easily found.
However, people who do not believe in a higher power or bird
view have a problem with divine command metaethics
(Morriston 2009). In the Metaethics view, moral obligations are
taught and fixed by religious belief. For the non-religious
believers there Metaethics can be set by the Karma they heard
of or the own belief system. Just because of believing in
religious belief and Karma, Metaethics do not take the basics
from realism or antirealism. Instead, it contains the focused
theories (Davis 2021).
Moral Realism in Metaethics asses the meaning of the moral.
Moral realism is the position of right and wrong in a variety of
situations. Religions like Christianity made committed to moral
realism for three different reasons. First, "constructivists tend
to attribute moral facts to agents as their origin" (Jung 2015). In

2. Christianity bible has the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20.
These Ten Commandments are the fundamental moral value of
Christian belief and set the standard. Commandments like "Thou
shalt not commit adultery" and "Thou shalt not kill" are the
well-known rule as a "basic human being." Like the last
sentence, the bible has a clear example of do's and don'ts, ri ght/
wrong.
The bible also advised what evil (bad) can affect the person "Be
not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (1
Corinthians 15:33). Many religious people believe in God's
purpose. An example of Christianity, Genesis advised, Human
were made to glorify God and his creation. Adam and Eve were
also created to manage God's creation. "So, whether you eat or
drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1
Corinthians 10:31). "And we know that for those who love God
all things work together for good, for those who are called
according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). The explicit purpose
gave men and women a clear vision of life and motivated them
to stay in God's direction and path. In a non-religious view,
having a purpose and long-term goal "give you an internal
compass" (C 2019). The long-term goal gives the value of life
and help in making "right diction" in real life.
I grew up in a Christian family. My father was a Korean
Christian church pastor, and we immigrated from Korea w hen I
was twelve years old. Growing up in a strict Christian family,
having a Christian ethic was a considerable portion of my life.
The pressure was hard for my childhood because many church
members' eyes were on me during the service and after church
during regular life—the Moral Realism in Metaethics like the
clear explanation in bible verses and the punishment. Because
of my strict background, my ethical standard stayed and led my
clean lifestyle. When I moved to California, I went to a school
with a high drop rate and crime rate around the Compton area. I
have many temptations on marijuana and other drugs, but I
stood away from it and kept my body and morals clean because
of my standard. Going through my military career and on my

3. second career, I can proudly say I have never done any drugs in
my life. Also, I can make this second career because of my
clean background and lead the younger generation to correct
ways and teach them about strong ethical standards.
The cultural background and life experience affect the level of
ethical theory. In order to understand the basic theory,
connecting with the realistic side of the theory is essential. The
basic theory should set up with common sense so others could
relate it as well.
References
Fieser, J. (2017). ETHICAL THEORY. University of Tennessee.
https://www.utm.edu/staff/jfieser/class/160/1-ethical
theory.htm#:~:text=Theoretical%20ethics%E2%80%94or%20eth
ical%20theory,%2C%20euthanasia%2C%20and%20animal%20ri
ghts.
Morriston, W. (2009). The moral obligations of reasonable non-
believers. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion,
65(1), 1–10. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s11153-
008-9173-x
Davis, T. (2021). Beyond objectivism: new methods for
studying metaethical intuitions. Philosophical Psychology,
34(1), 125–153. https://doi-
org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/09515089.2020.1845310
Jung, K. (2015). Models of moral realism in Christian ethics.
Harvard Theological Review, 108(4), 485–507
C. (2019, February 17). Benefits of Long-term Goals.
Cluttersavvy. https://www.cluttersavvy.com/post/benefits-of-
long-term-goals

4. 2
Connie Bohn
Ethical theory
An ethical theory is the ability to judge right from wrong
and the manner in which one does it. Either in words, thoughts,
or actions, in the end of the process the ultimate ending will
still only be theory. Theory: an ideology, a method, a feeling,
an approach to find an acceptable end of something with
meaning for the future use of one’s own reality. So, for the
purpose of this paper an ethical theory shall be the means and
methods of an ideology howbeit from reality or somewhere else
used to bring to a matter to an acceptable working end, whether
personal or social, or cultural.
The nature: The question for the nature is: Is it good or is it bad
and who is the one to give the ideology any authority at all?
Where does one gain the concept, ethical theory is the empirical
bases for morals of all types. (Lecture 1, 2019). Ethical theory

5. is also known by …the different elements that donate to the
nature of theory are the life and death, the good and bad the
developed subconscious for the reasons why we can leap into
action and do the right thing devoid of a second thought as to
whether or not we should act on the thought.
The grounds: May include but is not limited to Divine
intervention. subconscious agreement or understanding with
another argument of influence with greater weightiness.
Philosophical ethics can be a great source of structure to the
myriads of ethical teachings found in the scriptures (Lecture 2,
2019).
The methods: The process, can be embossed onto a
consciousness that is being implanted with the ethical principles
for the potential life. To aid in the development of morals as
building blocks for vibrant normative core heart issues. This
will also have a comprehensive variance in the personal
thinking of people in general.
You should be able to demonstrate moral actions when you have
some proper moral decision-making tools of right and wrong to
work with (Fieser, 2021). The metaethics is one of three
branches’ studies by philosophers in which the main question is,
what is goodness, for influencing moral convictions i s to have
the greatest viewpoint accessible for the topic at hand. If one
were to miss out on any facts then the weight of the issue is out
of balance and so would be the moral/ethical vision of the
person or society that is holding that opinion at that ti me, and
possibly the future.
The value given to the morality of the, we shall say that that,
society then has lost its equilibrium, and nothing should be
right. We give a value to these opinions and ideas by choosing
an end result of the evidence or the actions that show us what
we would choose to believe to be the best choice for us. Such
actions may or may not qualify as what society would call good.
Often even normal is not good for the benefit of all concerned.
What we choose today will by default be affecting the history of
the world. Herein is the gravity of the matter, the future of the

6. world could be at risk. Just look at Hitler, or Jesus, one
extremely bad the other extremely good.
The way I heard a couple of preachers of grace put it is to
say…”right thinking is right believing, right believing equals
right living.” Of course, the opposite is true too, bad thinking
equals believing in the bad is often good. But the reality is that
bad thinking ends up hurting people that you may never meet.
Boiling it down to the basics is, do good get good, do bad get
bad.
To bring the idea of ethical theory into my life I would have to
say that I try to live the golden rule, be the good Samaritan, do
unto others as I would want to do for me. Often times I do not
‘feel’ like it or I make a snap judgement about the situation.
Then I catch myself and stop and correct my thinking. Like
right now I do not ‘feel’ good about just confessing what some
would call a fault, but I want to write a good paper, so I do it.
The ends will for me justify the means and I am okay with that.
I could also add that no one was harmed in anyway by this small
confession. Even tough that may sound as if it were a cute thing
to say for certain types of the ethnicity it is a point of
consideration. Like I said before one needs all of the possible
information to make the best choices.
The entire idea of philosophies is so universally ubiquitous that
to be one or another or maybe more than one or come from a
root of more than one is mind boggling. Truly for me to have
the Devine as my grounding point makes my life a whole easier
to live with.

7. References
Lecture 1. Phil305. (2019). Introduction to ethical thinking:
Metaethics, the Nature and Grounds of Ethical Beliefs
https://www.gcu.edu.com/digital resources
Lecture 2. Phil305. (2019). Worldview and Ethics.
https://www.gcu.edu.com/digital resources
"Ethics", by James Fresner, The Internet Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, ISSN 2161-0002, https://www.iep.utm.edu/, March
15, 2021
Fisher, A. (2014). Metaethics : An introduction : an
introduction. ProQuest eBook Central https://ebookcentral-
proquest-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org
ETHICAL THEORY PAPERS FOR CRITIQUE
Justin Stein
Please see my below ethical theory paper, we revisions made
based off of Instructor Pruitt's feedback.
Ethical Theory Paper:
Famous French philosopher Albert Camus once said “A Man
without ethics is a wild beast loosed up this world…” This is a
very brash statement but one that has some efficacy when it
comes to the importance of ethics in human society. In this
paper I will explain ethics and ethical theory, the usage of
metaethics in moral judgments, as well as ethical thinking as
applied in one’s personal life.
Part I: Ethical Theory
Ethical theory is study of morality, the study of goodness, as
well as the study of the right actions (Deigh, 2015). This study

8. directly relates to the action of deciphering what we “should”
do versus what we “can” do in any given situation. This means
that ethical theory is important not only to guide our own
actions but also to evaluate the actions of others and why the
make the decisions they do (Wilkens, 2011). The “why” behind
the decisions a person makes is often driven by moral
judgement. Moral judgements are when a person decides or
makes a decision based off of their standard of what is good or
right. What is good and right can be a subjective term for many,
based almost entirely on their family of origin, religious
affiliation, socio-economic status, and geographical location.
With so many competing factors in ethical theory has does one
come to a decision on what is right? In ethics right does not
always mean correct, whereas, correct means something is
factually true, right means something is morally true (Wilkens,
2011). When making decisions based on one’s moral truth a
person must determine how their behavior affects not only
themselves but others around them, the acceptability of the
decisions to the perceived moral and legal laws of society at
large, as well as their own perception of what they believe to be
morally acceptable and right (Ruse, 2020).
Part II: Metaethics
Metaethics is the attempt to understand the metaphysical,
epistemological, semantic, and psychological, presuppositions
and commitments of moral thought, talk, and practice (Sayre-
McCord, 2014). Metaethics can play a large role in determining
moral judgement for an individual or a society at large. One
may first start by finding general societal truths and examining
whether they are logical This may be a commonly accepted
generality such as “it is wrong to murder another human being”.
A person could not just judge the efficacy of that statement
based off their own individual belief. This would mean that a
person who was considering whether to murder another would
have to wade through what was societally viewed as morally
right and filter their own view through that. These metaethical
beliefs are formed through the judgement a person and filtered

9. through their understanding of the culture or society they are a
part of. This makes the most sense when exploring objective
truths within society and everyday life, but objectivity can be
hard to prove. In the metaphysical approach to metaethics,
objectivity is questioned. This approach questions whether
ethical predicates are in fact real, or if they are invented and are
a product of perception (Deigh, 2015). Many metaethical beliefs
state that that murder is wrong, so we have accepted this as
objectively true. Moral realism is a view that counteracts that
supposition and maintains that ethical properties of an objective
nature are true. This view states that these objective moral
truths can stand up to questioning and inherently have empirical
properties of truth (Deigh, 2015).
Part III: Personal Example
Ethical thinking is an imperative practice for anyone to live
within society successfully. Ethical thinking allows for a person
to clearly decide what is the right decision for their own life as
well as the standards of society at large. If one understands the
basic framework of ethical thinking and sound moral judgement
it allows for a person to be in constant interaction with their
environment and process and consider situations through a
systematic approach that is objective and fair. I have
experienced how ethical thinking can be beneficial in my place
of employment. I hold the position of Divisional Director of
Operations of a large senior living company tasked with caring
for older people with physical and emotional needs. Of the
fourteen communities I support there are over 750 associates
working in those communities and 1400 residents. Everyday I
am asked to help make decisions that both benefit the residents
I serve and the company that I work for. Ethical thinking is
imperative acts as competing forces. Let us conjecture that a
resident needs more care which will increase their fees,
however, the resident could not afford to pay for the care and a
large discount would have to be provided. I would be forced to
look at the ethical implications of my decision, If I discount the
rate and negatively impact the businesses’ ability to be

10. successful, I will conflict with what my position is asked to do,
be a good steward of the business. If I do not find a financial
solution to care for this resident effectively, I will conflict with
the promise I made to the resident and family to take care of
their loved one. When making the decision using ethical theory
and ethical thinking, I can ensure that a decision is made that
aligns with both responsibilities and creates and optimal
outcome.
References:
Deigh, J. (2015). ethics. In R. Audi (Ed.), The Cambridge
dictionary of philosophy (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Credo
Reference: https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.cr
edoreference.com/content/entry/cupdphil/ethics/0?institutionId=
5865
Ruse, M. (2020). Building blocks of morality. Hervormde
Teologiese Studies, 76(1), 1–10. https://doi-
org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.4102/hts.v76i1.6057
Sayre-McCord, Geoff, "Metaethics", The Stanford Encyclopedia
of Philosophy (Summer 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.),
URL =
<https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2014/entries/metaethics
/>.
Wilkens, S. (2011). Beyond bumper sticker ethics: An
introduction to theories of right and wrong.
Ethical Theory Paper
Kayleigh Smith
Throughout humanity, morals are something that have been
passed down to us from generations. This influences us to
questions where they originated from and why they came to be.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Ethics
are “The philosophical study of morality… and sometimes it is

11. used more narrowly to mean the moral principles of a particular
tradition, group, or individual. (Deigh, 2015)” Theories about
ethics and morals help us to not only understand the concept of
morality, but also influence us to figure out whether our
decisions satisfy who we are morally. The textbook, The Story
of Ethics: Fulfilling Our Human Nature states that ethical and
moral theories answer two questions: “What kind of persons are
human beings? And what kind of life should we live as persons?
(Clark & Poortenga, 2003)” Our society has many different
worldviews, many of them are conflicting such as the Christian
and atheistic worldviews.
According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
“Metaethics investigates where our ethical principles come
from, and what they mean. (Fieser, 2015)” Metaethics is a type
of philosophy that examines morality in depth. Metaethics is
important because it explores the origin of our morality and
why it is the way it is in the first place. Metaethical positions
are defined by our responses to these questions about morality:
“What are people doing when they use moral words such as
‘good’ and ‘right’? What is moral value in the first place?
Where do moral values come from? Are some things right and
wrong for people at all times? (Fieser)” These are all important
questions that cause us to critically think about our moral
values. Through these questions we can examine the
significance of moral choices.
Ethical thinking is the concept where we consider our own
values when making moral decisions. The decisions we make
cause us to consider everyone’s best interest so that the results
are positive. Ethical thinking also implies that we are critically
thinking because we are assessing all possible outcomes in any
situation. By doing this, we are measuring the impact of all
possible results for our actions. When thinking ethically, we are
looking for best way to act in situations that occur in our daily
life. Through this practice, we can determine the right and
wrong decisions based on our experiences and lessons learned
through our upbringing. There are many factors that influence

12. the way we think, even when making ethical decisions. It is
definite that many people will not agree with one another on the
methods we use to determine what is moral.
Ethics are a concept that we are taught as children. When we
grow up religious, acting morally is very important. I was
brought up in a Christian household and my parents taught me
morality through the Bible’s teachings. My parents wanted me
to follow the rules of the Bible. I attended church every Sunday,
participated in children’s bible study, and did extra curriculars
such as Vacation Bible School. My parents wanted me to make
learning about the Bible fun. They believed that if they could
teach me through tactics that would get me excited to learn, I
would begin to understand the moral teachings. This way, I was
able to learn valuable lessons such as teaching others the way I
would like to be treated, honoring my parents, to not commit
murder, to not steal from others, to give to the less fortunate
and much more. The way I was raised taught me how to think
ethically and it influenced me to think before I act. It is good to
assess possible repercussions for our actions, if there are any. I
like to avoid situations where myself or others could be hurt. In
situations such as this, I will look for alternative actions that
will lead to a positive outcome instead of negative. Through
Christianity, I was taught to do what is acceptable by God’s
standards and if my actions do not glorify him, I will look for
actions that will be the right thing to do. Personally, I do not
like to do the wrong thing which means that measuring the
outcomes of situations is something that has to happen before I
make a decision. However, some people may be scared to make
a decision on their own, so they look to others, I am also a
person that looks to others for advice.
When growing up, we were taught to do the right thing and to
act morally. Morals and ethics are passed down from many lines
our linage. When we study ethics, we are looking into our
morality and the theories that help us measure it. We tend to
wonder where our sense of morality originates from and who the
original source was. We were taught to make decisions that are

13. ethical, but we could not possibly know who began its teachings
because they come from so long ago, our ancestors.
References
Clark, K. J., & Poortenga, A. (2003). The story of ethics:
Fulfilling our human nature. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall
Deigh, J. (2015). ethics. In R. Audi (Ed.), The Cambridge
dictionary of philosophy (3rd ed.). Cambridge University
Press. Credo Reference:
https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoref
erence.com/content/entry/cupd phil/ethics/0?institutionId=5865
Fieser, James. “Ethics.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
iep.utm.edu/ethics/#H1.
Wilkens, S. (2011). Beyond bumper sticker ethics: An
introduction to theories of right and wrong (2nd ed.).
Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press. Retrieved from ISBN-
13: 9780830839360