---
id: western-ethics-tradition
title: "Western Ethical Tradition: Aristotle, Kant, and Utilitarianism"
schema_type: Article
category: arts
language: en
confidence: medium
last_verified: "2026-05-28"
created_date: "2026-05-24"
generation_method: ai_structured
ai_models:
  - claude-opus
derived_from_human_seed: true
conflict_of_interest: none_declared
is_live_document: false
data_period: static
atomic_facts:
  - id: fact-western-ethics-1
    statement: Aristotle frames ethics around the human good and happiness in the Nicomachean Ethics.
    source_title: The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle
    source_url: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8438/8438-h/8438-h.htm
    confidence: medium
  - id: fact-western-ethics-2
    statement: >-
      Kant formulates the categorical imperative around acting only on maxims that one can will as
      universal law.
    source_title: Groundwork for the Metaphysic of Morals
    source_url: https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/kant1785.pdf
    confidence: medium
  - id: fact-western-ethics-3
    statement: >-
      Mill presents utilitarianism as a moral theory centered on happiness and the greatest
      happiness principle.
    source_title: Utilitarianism
    source_url: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/11224/11224-h/11224-h.htm
    confidence: medium
completeness: 0.86
known_gaps:
  - This compact repair keeps only source-mapped public claims from the sampled audit entry.
disputed_statements: []
primary_sources:
  - title: The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle
    type: literature
    year: -350
    url: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8438/8438-h/8438-h.htm
    institution: Project Gutenberg
    authors:
      - Aristotle
  - title: Groundwork for the Metaphysic of Morals
    type: literature
    year: 1785
    url: https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/kant1785.pdf
    institution: Early Modern Texts
    authors:
      - Immanuel Kant
  - title: Utilitarianism
    type: literature
    year: 1863
    url: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/11224/11224-h/11224-h.htm
    institution: Project Gutenberg
    authors:
      - John Stuart Mill
secondary_sources: []
updated: "2026-05-28"
---

## TL;DR

The Western ethical tradition is often introduced through virtue ethics, Kantian deontology, and utilitarianism.

## Core Explanation

This repair removes future and mismatched textbook entries. The remaining claims map to three primary texts: Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Kant's Groundwork, and Mill's Utilitarianism.

## Further Reading

- [The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8438/8438-h/8438-h.htm)
- [Groundwork for the Metaphysic of Morals](https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/kant1785.pdf)
- [Utilitarianism](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/11224/11224-h/11224-h.htm)