Aretaic
Aretaic ethics is a category of ethics which gauges the moral value of an action, not by the action itself or it’s consequences, but by the character which it produces in the person who performed it. It does not say that the action is immoral because of the action itself, nor does it say it is immoral because of the penalty or reward for the action.
For example: an aretaic approach to thievery. A man steals millions of dollars from another man and hides it. He then is caught and put in prison, but the money is never found. Twenty years later the man is released from prison, goes and retrieves the money from its hiding place and lives happily ever after.
The aretaic approach does not say the act of thievery is immoral because the Bible or general morality says it is. It does not say it is immoral because he spent twenty years in prison. On the contrary, it says that it is a moral action, because of the resulting virtue or character trait, happiness.
Relativism
Relativism is a category of ethics which declares morality based on relative factors such as culture or personal preference. Relativism says, “What is good for me is not necessarily good for you.”
Example: Cannibalism is considered immoral in western civilization, but one can argue, on the grounds of relativism, that a rival tribes in Africa can morally eat members of other tribes because it is part of their religious and cultural practice when they win a battle against another tribe.
Another Example: Adultery is perceived as immoral if it is performed by a Christian, because their defined preference says that it is immoral. But within the very same culture, it is moral for an Atheist to be an adulterer because they do not have a preference against it.
Deontological Systems
Deontological systems are ethical systems which are based on a set of rules. These can be religious rules or they can be rules established based on a sense of natural law or general morality. In any case a deontological system is defined by an established guideline for morality.
Example: One can argue on deontological grounds that feeding the poor is moral, because Christ taught to help those in need. A relativist may say that it is good for you, but I believe in natural selection so they should die. Am aretaic would likely consider it immoral, because it might cause discomfort, unless they needed the tax write-off which then makes them happy.
Code of Ethics Examples
