Question

The three dominant approaches to normative theories of ethics include all of the following, except?

1) Virtue ethics
2) Deontological ethics
3) Utilitarian ethics
4) Consequentialist ethics

Answer 1

Consequentialist ethics is not one of the three distinct approaches to normative ethics, as it overlaps with utilitarian ethics, which is a form of consequentialism. The three main approaches are deontological ethics, consequentialism, and virtue ethics.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves identifying the approach that is not one of the three dominant approaches to normative theories of ethics. The three primary approaches covered in the provided materials are deontological ethics, which is rule-based; consequentialism, which looks at the outcomes of actions; and virtue ethics, which focuses on character traits. Therefore, among the options provided, both consequentialist and utilitarian ethics share a similar premise, as utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism. However, utilitarian ethics specifically measures an action's moral worth by its contribution to overall happiness or utility, which is why the two can appear similar. Since the question asks for the 'except' option and since utilitarianism is a subset of consequentialism, the best answer would be consequentialist ethics (option 4), as it is already represented by utilitarian ethics (option 3).