The Practical Contexts of Moral Philosophy

Explores three theories of moral action within the profession of editor-in-chief of a publishing company.

In this essay, I evaluate three theories of moral action in the contexts of a profession. The profession I have chosen is that of an Editor-in-Chief of a small publishing company. The three theories of morality I am considering are Aristotle’s theory of Virtue, John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism, and Kant’s theory of Duty, as it applies to Kant’s categorical imperatives. As a person working with literature and art, the most useful moral theory comes from Aristotle’s theory’s of virtue, where character is the significant feature of morality, not pleasure or duty.