The ethics of care begins from the observation that the two major well-established Euro-American theories of morality are focused on justice and impartiality, and have difficulty justifying parts of our moral lives that are focused on particular individual relationships. Utilitarianism, for example, tells us that we should do whatever results in the greatest good for the greatest number,…

There are various traditions within virtue ethics, with the Aristotelian and Buddhist virtue ethics being among the most influential. In virtue ethics, morality is seen as a reflection of personal character rather than being solely focused on consequences (as in consequentialism), intentions (as in deontology), social systems (as in contractarianism), relationships and roles (as in…

Confucianism tells us how best to live our lives, not based on individual choices we make, but based on the overall path we walk. For the Confucian, it is about staying on a path (dao) that is important, rather than any individual action.

Consequentialism focuses on the consequences of the actions people take. For a consequentialist, an action is right if the consequences of that action were good, and wrong if the consequences of that action were bad.