Rosa Parks Case

Rosa Parks was the public figure that stood out in my mind when dealing with ethical theory. The theory that would fit for Rosa would be the Deontology Theory because "it emphasizes one's duty to do a particular action, just because the action, itself, is inherently right regardless of the consequences of the actions", taken from Boylan 2009. Rosa Parks was a black woman who chose one day to not listen to the bus driver and give up her seat to a white person. She protested because she was tired of the segregation and being treated as a lesser being. She went to prison, which at this time was the consequence for this act of retaliation and not giving in to the white people, but this also made her famous. The Virtue Theory also could work for Rosa because it shows her character, courage, and self-control. The theory that least suits Rosa Parks would be the Utilatianism Theory because Rosa at the time of her protest because she was not doing this to be a team player; she was acting on her own to prove a point. She was not thinking about all of the people she was representing when she refused to give up her seat on the bus, she was acting on her own behalf because she had had enough and was standing up for her own personal right. Even though this act of hers did in one way or another affect all blacks at that time, she was not refusing to give up her seat for anyone but herself.

Boylan, M. (2009). Basic ethics: Basic ethics in action (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.