List three criticisms each for the following forms of reasoning. Rank the criticisms in the order that you think is most important to least important. Explain why you feel the number one in each group is the most critical

Question

a. Utilitarianism
b. Kantian ethics
c. Virtue ethics
d. Divine command ethics

Answer 1

Refer to the list of criticisms. Answers regarding which are most important are a matter of preference.
Utilitarianism:
a. may be used to sanction unfairness and the violation of rights
b. is not sensitive to the agent-relativity of duty
c. does not seem to give enough respect to persons
d. holds that it is justifiable to prevent others from doing what we believe to be harmful acts to themselves
e. does not provide a basis for our own moral attitudes and presumptions
Kantian ethics:
a. The exceptionless character makes it too rigid for real life.
b. Morality cannot be derived from pure reason.
c. Disregarding consequences can lead to disastrous results.
d. Nonhumans have no independent moral standing.
e. It is possible to have conflicts between two equally supported duties.
Virtue ethics:
a. do not generally provide specific directions in regard to decisions
b. Traditions do not adapt easily to changes in practice that require new moral responses.
c. Derivation of duty from one's class may perpetuate classism, sexism, etc.
d. A traditional emphasis depends on past experience rather than reason.
e. One may find that he is attempting to address several idealized roles at the same time.
f. often yields results that do not maximize happiness
Divine command ethics:
a. assumes a belief in either divine beings or exemplary individuals
b. cannot cover all possible cases of moral decision
c. generally are exceptionless in nature
d. has the Euthyphro Problem