The goal of a philosopher is to come up with a theory that will be able to be applied in the world and prove to be successful. Ethical philosophers such as Aristotle, Mill, and Kant think of ways to better the world through morality in people. They form ideas that will be helpful in dealing with ethical issues of the world that are controversial and can be approached in many different ways. Each philosopher has a different belief and a different theory that can be used when faced with an ethical issue. It is up to the individual to decide which ethical approach would best fit their situation and produce the best outcome. One such ethical issue is euthanasia. Euthanasia can be described as voluntary mercy killing which benefits the patient. It is often done in times of great suffering for the patient who does not seem likely to live. There are two forms of euthanasia, active and passive. Active euthanasia is to do something which will lead to someone's death. Passive euthanasia involves an omission of an action or not doing something that causes a beneficial death. This is indeed a contemporary ethical issue which is very controversial and is often investigated. The question that needs to be answered when addressing this problem is whether patients should have the legal right to ask doctors to help us die when the end of life is in sight and suffering is severe. Through close examination of Kant and Mill's ethical theories, it will be interesting to see what their answer to this dilemma would be. Their theories will give us incite to whether they are supporters of euthanasia or against it. .
Immanuel Kant who wrote before John Stuart Mill formulates his theory around a certain concern of his. Kant's theory focuses on decisions and choices, not what is produced. According to Kant, it is the good will in people that helps make decisions. Kant's question is when making decisions is there anyway to know that one has acted or chosen correctly.