John Lockes Possible View of Kantian Theory and Utilitarian Theory Evaluations - Essay Example

John Locke’s Possible View of Kantanian Theory and Utilitarian Theory Evaluations John Locke’s view of the Kantanian theory evaluation and Utilitarian theory evaluation would be based on the social contract theory that explains the relationship between the state of the people and associated obligations. One of the basis for the theorist’s evaluation is sovereign power that social contract offers to a governing authority over a group of people. This ensures regulation of people’s selfish interests towards personal ambitions in the society and therefore fosters law and order.

Assumed equality among all members of the society and the need for survival under resource constraint identifies conflict between, individuals and unchecked altruism would facilitate conflicts and chaos. This established basis of social contract to ensure peace and order. Kantanian theory identifies rules as a basis to ethics. Established rules define individual’s obligations and an ethical act is one that is consistent with stipulated duty. This identifies a center of power, real as a body that establishes rules or virtual through socially or traditionally created rules.

The Kantanian theory would demand compliance with established rules that govern patents and respect for rules that established the patenting authority and would justify Grace’s operations under the existing patent (Brooks and Dunn 182- 185; Waluchow 121- 124). Utilitarian theory however focuses on consequences of actions and justifies actions that offer net benefits to a majority of members of the society. The theory justifies an act when the act offers net benefits and to more people. Even though the case identifies development of a beneficial product, patenting the product protects one entity’s rights and prohibits other people from free benefits of the neem product as an insecticide.

It also limits use among individuals who could have been using the product in its crude form, under the patent’s physical jurisdiction and would therefore be unjustified under utilitarian ethics. John Locke would therefore support the Kantanian evaluation that justifies the rule-based ethics because of the corresponding respect of power in the Kantanian theory and Locke’s theory of social contract. The theorist would however undermine utilitarian theory’s evaluation because of its susceptibility to selfish interest, based on altruism, which only leads to chaos (Brooks and Dunn 182- 185; Waluchow 121- 124).

Theory that produces the most reasonable evaluation of the case and rationaleThe social contract theory offers the most reasonable evaluation of the case. Its correspondence with the scope of the case is the first reason for the theory’s suitability. The case identifies existence of a real center of power, the government that acts through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that is the basis of social contract theory. Formality of involved rules in the case, legal aspects, also establishes suitability of the contract theory as the best basis for analyzing the case because Kantanian theory and Utilitarian theory lack such legal aspects.

The contemporary scope of the case, occurring in formal political set ups with political power that binds citizens, unless and until the power is changed, also means that the social contract theory that develops and governs such powers is a suitable approach to analyzing the case (Brooks and Dunn 182- 185; Waluchow 121- 124). Works citedBrooks, Leonard, and Dunn, Paul. Business and professional ethics: For directors, executives & accountants. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Waluchow, Wilfred.

The dimensions of ethics: An introduction to ethical theory. New York, NY: Broadview Press, 2003. Print.