Being good is good but you have to do it for the right reason. Aristotle and Kant are two famous philosophers who have different ethical theories. The theory of virtue and duties is not based only on laws and obligations but on what comes from within. Morality comes from inner strength, character and how we live our lives to achieve the best outcome. Aristotle 384-322 BCE Aristotle conceptualized the branches of philosophy and contributed to theories of logic, metaphysics, ethics, and political philosophy (book 237). Aristotle's teleological ethics: the reason for being. Aristotle focused on people's actions, whether good or bad, and their character, not good or bad actions. The branches of Immanuel Kant's (1724–1804) philosophy included contributions to metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics. Kant's deontological ethics, an ethics of duty. It focuses on the rational will and a conception of autonomous reason, not on the kind of person one should be (Betzler 7). The bases of Aristotle's and Kant's theories are different. Aristotle believes that when you do something, it comes from the virtues you possess, while Kant believes that there is always a reason behind actions. However, both agree “that it takes time and practice to develop the virtues” (betzler 50). Another thing they have in common is that they both focused on people's actions and why they performed those actions. Whether it is happiness or good will, we all carry out an action to the end; in order to have a good life. Aristotle's strength is his belief in moderation (Book 480). Aristotle believes that the ultimate goal of life is to be happy and that people will do what makes them happy. He defined the highest good as “eudaimonia” (Chaffee 477). Towards a...... middle of paper ......n different ways of reaching an end. However, I believe that Kant's theory is most likely correct because it includes everyone and not just what makes an individual happy. Although Kant's views are a bit extreme when it comes to rules, we all have to have rules to live by. We can't just go out and do what makes us happy. I like the “golden rule” best, mainly because it’s what my great-grandmother tells us all the time and it’s a good rule to live by. Works Cited Betzler, Monika. Kant's virtue ethics. Berlin, DEU: Walter de Gruyter, 2008.Broadie, Sarah. Ethics with Aristotle. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press, 1993. Chaffee, John. The philosophical way of thinking critically about profound ideas. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009. Kupperman, Joel. Ethics and qualities of life. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press, 2007.