This chart portrays four systems of moral and political thought. There is a lot of overlap and variation both within and between systems and all four systems tend to borrow arguments from the other systems. Hence, moral and political systems alone do not necessarily imply uniformity of belief. Pluralism rules, both between systems and within systems.  Nevertheless. . .    

(Virtue-Based Moral Systems)

(Teleological and Pleasure-Based Moral Systems)

(Deontological or Rights-Based Moral Systems)

(Deontological Rights-Based Moral Systems)

Philosophers Classic: Plato, Aristotle, theologians (Judeo-Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, etc) Contemporary: Alasdair MacIntyre, Leon Kass.      

Philosophers Classic: Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgewick. Contemporary: Peter Singer.

Philosophers  Classic: Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx: Contemporary: John Rawls, Francis Fukuyama (?)

Philosophers Classic: John Locke, John Stuart Mill (?), F. A. Hayek, Ayn Rand. Contemporary: Robert Nozick    

Teleological Theory-(goal directed and consequential), hedonistic (pleasure), quantitative and or qualitative distinctions between pleasures) altruistic (interests of others over self).

Deontological Theory- (duty and rights-based, rule oriented, and non-consequential).

 Teleological Theory-(goal directed and consequential), hedonistic (pleasure), quantitative and or qualitative distinctions between pleasures) altruistic (interests of others over self).

Deontological Theory-(duty and rights-based, rule oriented, non-consequential, egalitarian.

 Deontological Theory-(duty and rights-based, rule oriented, and non-consequential.

Teleological Theory -(Mill justified the liberty principle based greatest happiness principle.)  

Variants: Can be supported  by "Natural Law Theory" (non-secular Aristotelian) and/or  "Divine Command Theory" (secular Judeo-Christian).  

Variants:  Act and Rule Utilitarianism, Universalistic Utilitarianism, Preference Utilitarianism.

Variants:  Rawlsian and Marxist.    

Variants:  Lockean and Millean. (See above)  

Human Nature: Non-Secular-Humans are fundamentally: rational animals that live in cities, communal, pleasure-seeking, hierarchical (natural leaders and followers, social classes),  excellence seeking.

Secular-Humans are disobedient children of God that often violate parental commands.           

Human Nature: Humans are fundamentally: rational, communal, pleasure-seeking, (sentient)  altruistic. 

Human Nature: Humans are fundamentally: rational, self-interested, individuals, rule-oriented, individual and communal, and possess free will.

The "natural lottery is unfair."

Human Nature: Human beings are fundamentally: rational, self-interested individuals, voluntarily communal, acquisitive (acquire property)  and possess free will.

The "natural lottery is fair."

Foundation: Non-Secular-Rationality and/or Experience.Secular-Divine Command as embedded in scripture, interpretation of scripture, religious experience, or divine inspiration of leaders.

Both-anthropocentric (moral universe=humans)

 Foundation: Experience

non-anthropocentric (moral universe=sentient mammals)

Foundation: Rationality

anthropocentric (moral universe=humans)

Foundation: Rationality

anthropocentric (moral universe=humans)

Leading Principle: Virtues and Vices are standards of human excellence. Individual Virtues (temperance, bravery) and Social Virtues (friendship, generosity etc).

Leading Principle: Greatest Happiness Principle = "Greatest Happiness, Greatest Number."

Leading Principle: The Categorical Imperative="Act on Universal Principles." and/or "Always Treat Persons as Ends and Never as Means." (Principle of Equality)

Leading Principle: The Liberty Principle=Do what you want, but don't harm others.

Moral Absolutes: Yes. Virtues that are grounded in universal human nature or divine command. 

Moral Absolutes: Yes. Pleasure=good and Pain=bad.

Moral Absolutes: Yes. All moral rules that are universalizable, especially equality.

Moral Absolutes: Yes. Never harm to others, and never employ personal coercion. (Some libertarians permit paternalistic coercion on behalf of the incompetent.)

Elements: Specific Moral Virtues: (Individual and social); Teaching and Learning Morality. Submission to moral authority.Intellectual Virtues (wisdom).   

Elements: Hedonism (Pleasure=Good, and Pain =Bad), Qualitative and Quantitative aspects of pleasure, Social Distribution of Pleasure (Cost/Benefit Analysis). 

Elements: Rights: {Both Negative Rights (rights of non-interference by others), positive rights (right of possession)} Duties: Direct Duties (toward persons), Indirect Duties (toward property). Individualism (egoism), Collectivism (altruism), moral pluralism. Distributive Justice based on equality, Paternalism

Elements: Rights: (negative rights only) Duties: Direct Duties (toward persons), Indirect Duties (toward property).Self-regarding actions (do not harm others) and Other-regarding actions (harm others). Radical individualism and moral Pluralism. Anti-paternalism 

Purpose of government: promote human excellence and social stability. 

Purpose of government: promote social distribution of pleasures and pains based on the "Greatest Happiness Principle."

Purpose of government: promote social and/or political equality and security (welfare) for all citizens, especially the least advantaged. Society is deliberately organized by leaders.

Purpose of government: protect personal liberty and private property, enforce contracts, and promote free markets. Society is a self-organized system.

Government is inherently conservative and seeks to promote political stability via upholding tradition,  often invokes natural order, divine command theory, religious values, and longstanding traditions. Hierarchical centralized control of power and information, overlapping moral and political structures, stable social class distinctions.

Political change is based on increased efficiency, often contrary to conservative religious values and traditions, centralized power structures to promote efficiency, egalitarian (egalitarian- no class distinctions).

Government based on Rule of Law and Democratic political institutions. Positive Rights-Government is involved in the redistribution of at least some social goods (specifically human needs). Negative Rights-(Equality of Opportunity). Government is not involved in the redistribution of mere wants. Tolerates but limits the effects of some socio-economic  classes, religious toleration and separation of church and state, big government and the welfare state. (Marx does not tolerate socio-economic classes, Rawls does.)

Government based on  Rule of Law and (Limited) Democratic Political Institutions. No Positive Rights-Government does not redistribute social goods (wants or needs). opportunity. Negative Rights-Equality of Opportunity. Tolerates socio-economic classes but insures fluidity via equality of opportunity, religious toleration, separation of church and state, minimal government bordering on socio-political anarchy. 

Regime: Tends toward hierarchical social order (monarchy or Aristocracy) E.g. Plato's Republic.

Regime: Neutral but tends toward egalitarian democratic political regimes.  

Regime: Egalitarian Liberal Democracy 

Regime: Liberal Democracy

Moral virtues are easily taught by leaders via education, controlled media (traditionally literature and poetry.) Moral Virtues promote social cohesion, stability, and security. Upholds "Human Dignity"

 Feelings of pleasure and pain are easily discerned, natural, and universal (we all have central nervous systems!). Compatible and enhanced by modern biology and social science. Politically compatible with democratic political institutions.

 Elevates principles (duties and rights) over pleasure. Upholds the "Human Dignity" by emphasizing duties and rights as moral absolutes (beneficence, non-maleficence, liberty, and justice). Avoids the perceived weaknesses of pleasure- based systems; especially: avoids mindless pursuit of lowly pleasures, avoids highly fallible calculation of future distribution of pleasures; avoids injustice toward individuals and sub-communities. Respects all voluntarily accepted traditions. Politically compatible with democratic political institutions.

 Liberty is often associated with the individual's natural pursuit of pleasure and/or property. Avoids both tyranny of the masses and totalitarian government.Avoids arbitrary and costly social distribution schemes, high taxation, and maintains small government. Respects all voluntarily accepted traditions.Politically consonant with democratic political institutions.

Virtues appear to be relative to specific sub-communities and constructed by political regimes, virtues lack universality, and therefore tend to proliferate and change over time.  Aristotle’s “golden mean” as the grounds for moral virtue seems arbitrary. Hierarchical and tolerates permanent social classes, totalitarian political regimes, and coercion. Often hostile to social and political change, innovation, and liberty. Uniformity of belief is difficult to maintain. Hostile to conflicting traditions and democratic political regimes.

Moral action seems to require distinguishing between quantitatively or qualitatively “higher and lower” pleasures. Human knowledge of the future distribution of pain and pleasures within a complex community is highly fallible. Utilitarianism justifies the sacrifice the interests of individuals and sub-communities in order to promote the interests of the larger community. (injustice). Hostile to Tradition.

More of a political theory than a moral theory; that is it does not often tell us what is GOOD or BAD.  Moral action requires that we make impartial decisions in a social and political vacuum, universal moral rules based on rationality alone are difficult to identify and justify, human rights lack universality and seemingly based on distinctive Western values.  Respects all traditions, including non-liberal traditions. (Liberal societies often harbor subversive illiberal sub-communities like the Nazis.) 

 More of a political theory than a moral theory; that is it does not often tell us what is GOOD or BAD. Difficult to organize and maintain stable liberty-based communities, tolerates some socio-economic class distinctions, anti-government, weak communal structures,  excessive reliance on free market solutions to social problems. Often portrayed as "cold-hearted" because of the way it deals with social inequality by emphasizing self-organized systems, personal responsibility, and individual planning rather than governmental solutions via collective planning.  Respects all traditions, including non-liberal traditions. (Liberal societies often harbor subversive illiberal sub-communities like the Nazis.)    

Contemporary: Virtue-Based ethical systems, with their commitment to stable traditions, is difficult to reconcile with modern science and democratic political institutions.

Contemporary: Utilitarianism can rely heavily on highly fallible social sciences such as sociology, political science, and economics. 

Contemporary: Egalitarianism can be politically expensive as "positive rights" proliferate and governments increase taxation in order to guarantee these rights. Welfare Liberalism can be hostile to scientific innovation. Marxism is theoretically reliant upon scientific innovation, but lacks the socio-economic structure that generates Science and scientists.

Contemporary: Libertarianism seems utopian in the sense that, in modern democracies, politicians tend to get elected by expanding positive rights and increasing the size of government. (Hence, libertarians have a hard time getting elected.) Libertarianism can be overly accommodating to scientific innovation.