Which ethical principle is primarily concerned with doing good?

Beneficence is the ethical principle that focuses on promoting good and acting in ways that benefit others. This principle underlines the importance of taking positive actions to help people and improve their well-being. In the context of healthcare and ethical practices, beneficence requires professionals to contribute positively to the welfare of their patients or clients, through actions that relieve suffering, increase happiness, and enhance quality of life.

Understanding beneficence is essential for practitioners because it not only calls for avoiding harm but also emphasizes the need to actively engage in actions that support and promote the health and well-being of individuals and communities. This principle serves as a guiding framework for decision-making and encourages a proactive approach to addressing the needs of those served.

Other ethical principles, such as justice, autonomy, and non-maleficence, while important in their own right, serve different roles. Justice pertains to fairness and equitability in the allocation of resources and treatment, autonomy centers on respect for individual decision-making rights, and non-maleficence is focused on the obligation to avoid causing harm. Each principle contributes to ethical considerations in a different way, but beneficence is the key principle specifically aimed at the promotion of good.