5. Ethics is concerned with questions of how people ought to act. Ethics denotes the theory of right action and the greater good. It is not limited to specific acts and defined moral codes, but encompasses the whole of moral ideals and behaviors. Schools of ethics in Western philosophy can be roughly divided into 3 sorts. 1. Aristotelian ethics holds that ethics is the science of achieving happiness, which is derived from being a good person. “How do I become a good person?” By practicing virtues (such as justice, charity, chastity….). The good person performs good actions, and s/he perform good actions in order to achieve happiness. 2. Utilitarianism asserts that the guiding principle of conduct should be the greatest happiness or benefit of the greatest number. The consequences of the action is most valuable (the “ends”). 3. Kantian ethics state that certain types of actions (murder, theft, lying…) are absolutely prohibited, even in cases where the action would bring about more happiness than the alternative. For Kantians, there are two questions that we must ask ourselves whenever we decide to act: (i) Can I rationally will that everyone act as I propose to act? If the answer is no, then we must not perform the action. (ii) Does my action respect the goals of human beings rather than merely using them for my own purposes? Again, if the answer is no, then we must not perform the action. The intention or the motive is what matters (the “means”).