What are ethical theories?

Ethical theories are the rules and principles that determine right and wrong for any given situation. There are five types of ethical theories. One is utilitarianism, which determines action is right if it gives the greatest amount of happiness to those it affects.

Another type is the Divine Command Theory . This theory states that an action is morally right if deemed right by the commandments of God. There is also the natural law theory, which believes the morals of humans come from nature. Other ethical theories include virtue ethics and deontology.