5 Patient 3 Ventilators – Virtue Theory and Utilitarian Theory

Complete readings “The Nature of Virtue”, by Aristotle, and “How Can I be a Better Person? On Virtue Ethics,” by Douglas Giles [“Virtue Ethics” by Julia Driver (Missing)]
You have now read something about three different ethical theories (utilitarianism, Kantianism, and Virtue theory). Imagine that you are the doctor in charge of emergency services in a small, local hospital. Your hospital has three ventilators, which help people struggling to breathe to stay alive. Today five people have been admitted to the hospital with coronavirus symptoms, and all five need help breathing. Without knowing anything (yet) about the patients, your hospital has to formulate a policy about how to decide who gets to use a ventilator and who will not (keeping in mind that it may be that someone who does not get to use a ventilator may die, and someone who gets to use a ventilator may not live). First, use virtue theory to describe a policy that your hospital might implement. HINT: remember that virtue theory focuses on the character of the “actor” – what would a reasonable person do here? Why would virtue theory indicate this way? Be sure to mention the advantages and disadvantages of using virtue theory.
Then, compare that answer to EITHER the answer a utilitarian will give to formulate this policy OR how a Kantian/deontologist would design the policy. Remember the “Why”, and the advantages and disadvantages.. ).