Ethics of success
The expression “ ethics of success ”, which goes back to Max Scheler , describes theories of normative assessment of human action that are not based on subjective attitudes but on action success (see also consequentialism ). Scheler contrasts this family of theories with another that he calls ethics of conviction and a. is exemplified by deontological ethics .
Delimitations
In the pure ethics of success (often also referred to as consequentialist or teleological ethics ), action is judged ethically according to the consequences of the action taken. An example of this evaluation attitude is utilitarianism , in which alternative courses of action are evaluated using the product of the probability of the occurrence of the consequence and the benefit of the consequence.
Concept history
The term goes back in particular to Max Scheler (1913) who differentiated between ethics of conviction and ethics of success, similar to Max Weber in 1919 between ethics of responsibility and ethics of conviction. Kurt Latte introduced the expression “ethics of success” in 1920 in the context of ancient ethics.
objection
The ethics of success is criticized because it assumes the possibility of truth from alternative assessment, which, however, are de facto not available to people. Another problem is that apparently unjust or inhuman actions can be justified with the help of the ethics of success.
literature
- David Baumgardt: ethics of conviction or ethics of success? In: Philosophical Studies [Berlin] 1 (1949), pp. 91–110.
- Hans Reiner : ethics of conviction and ethics of success . In: Archive for legal u. Sozialphilosophie 40 (1953), pp. 520-533.
Web links
- Edgar Morscher : What is and what should medical ethics be? (accessed on May 8, 2010; PDF; 181 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tragedy, Idea, and Transformation . In: Hellmut Flashar (Ed.): Colloquium Rauricum . tape 5 . Verlag Walter de Gruyter , 1997, ISBN 978-3-519-07415-1 , Arbogast Schmitt : Wesenszüge der Greek Tragödie, p. 37 .