Do you think there are genuine moral dilemmas Why Essay

Do you think there are genuine moral dilemmas Why - Essay Example This paper will utilize different ethical theories and prove that genuine moral dilemmas exist. One of the most obvious proofs that genuine moral dilemmas exists lies in the fact that there are numerous ethical theories, each of which adopted a different point of view on the same situation. That is why it may be important to analyze the exemplary approaches to support this point. The first theory that will be engaged is called Deontological Ethics and is closely connected to the legacy of Immanuel Kant. This German philosopher developed an idea that life of a person should be guided by a necessity to adhere with the duty1. There is no one strictly defined duty, it is rather a set of various universal maxims that adherence to which defines whether an action of a person should be seen as a moral one. The next concept that also was developed by him is titled categorical imperative. Indeed, in the view of Kant, actions of a person should be guided by categorical imperative which is the necessity to choose the right action regardless of the circumstances or the negative consequences that this might bring for a person. As one can clearly see, this is a rather rigorous position that makes a clear judgment about the significance of a particular action. So, the latter will always be viewed as a moral or an immoral one, regardless of the general context of the situation. Speaking of moral dilemmas, one might argue that this theory is a rather useful one since it will always be able to prove a clear answer to a dilemma. Considering the name of this ethical theory, one might guess that it places a significant emphasis on the consequences that an action brings. The same idea was explored by John Stuart Mill in his Utilitarianism who claimed that the morality of an action should be determined by the amount of utility that it brings2. That is why it is quite understandable that the action