The other major family of ethical theories, called "teleological" by ethicists, recognizes the morality of an action in light of the end or outcome of the action. The most fundamental form of this traces at least as far back as Aristotle, who spoke a person or thing being right as it functioned according to its true nature or purpose. Other versions of this focus on outcomes of happiness or pleasure, or even "the good." Seeking the greatest happiness or pleasure for one's self is the hedonistic variety of this theory, while seeking the greatest good or happiness or pleasure for the greatest number would be the utilitarian version.
Both deontological and teleological theories find expression in our faith, in our law, in our economy, and in our moral practice. Sometimes we call on the universal principle - honesty or respect; sometimes we call on the intrinsic purpose of something - to live, to be free, to be happy, to find self-actualization or "fulfillment," or to be godly, sometimes we focus on the outcome - paying taxes serves the greater good (and could also be seen as a duty, like honesty, or as "render unto Ceasar"); also free market economics has an outcome based justification, even though it incorporates some internal mechanisms that are in conflict with ethical principles, e.g. unlimited self-interest, unlimited profit (greed).
Ethical systems or theories that are not religious in nature tend to deal with human relationships in a generic fashion, but religious systems are more specific about family relationships. In Christianity, within the Ten Commandments and in the teachings of Jesus, the concepts of honor, honesty, and fidelity, which should apply to all relationships, are given special status within the family. Parents should be honored. Faithfulness and sexual fidelity are held up as the basis of marriage. Further, the parent child relationship as well as the marriage relationship are often held up as models of divine love and commitment. Clearly in a more general ethical sense, these relationships, and the role of the family in teaching and modeling ethical behavior, have a significant roles in the security and stability of both the individual life as well as the society. Similar moral teachings are found in other major religious traditions.
The major religious traditions have significant ethical import for their practitioners, and are ancient in their origins, going back around 2,500 years or more. While it is beyond my scope and qualification to go in depth, it is appropriate to bring into the discussion some of the major ethical teachings. Honor of family, benevolence toward others, respect for community order, and growth in personal virtue are important in Confucianism. To gain freedom from the transient and the temporary, to avoid craving or clinging to the sensory, enabled by the practice of meditation, and to engage in ethical living and charity are important in Buddhism. Other major religions have similar teachings, as well as ethical principles we have not touched upon. This would include the entire realm of ethics dealing with our relationship to the earth or the environment, an issue addressed within the religions we have mentioned and perhaps more so in ancient native or indigenous cultures and traditions. The focus of my reflections on ethics in these writings is limited primarily to human relations and social interactions and the ethics and laws related to these.
To be continued.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Joel Feinberg. Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems in Philosophy. Ninth Edition. Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1996.
David Stewart and H. Gene Blocker. Fundamentals of Philosophy. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992.
Wikipedia. (Images, and general insights on Buddhism and Confucianism.)
Image 1: ‘’Justitia’’ by Maarten van Heemskerk, 1556.
Image 2: "Moses with the Tablets of Law," by Rembrandt van Rijn.