John Lockes Possible View of Kantian Theory and Utilitarian Theory Essay

John Lockes Possible View of Kantian Theory and Utilitarian Theory Evaluations - Essay Example This established basis of the social contract to ensure peace and order. The Kantian theory identifies rules as a basis for 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 Kantian 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). The 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 the 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 patient's physical jurisdiction and would, therefore, be unjustified under utilitarian ethics. John Locke would, therefore, support the Kantian evaluation that justifies the rule-based ethics because of the corresponding respect of power in the Kantian 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).