Deontology Theory

The guiding principles of Catholic Social Teaching have the overarching, dominating theme of human dignity (Condit, 2016, p. 371). The focus is, that human beings were formed in God’s image and in return, humanities purpose is to follow in God’s footsteps and portray the same love and grace (Coleman, 2008) (Condit, 2016, p. 371). Consequently, this affects how human beings interact with each other, requiring commitment, to look after, encourage, maintain and promote each other (Coleman, 2008) (Herbert, 2016, p. 7). One way to apply, this Catholic Social Teaching of human dignity, is to understand the nurse’s relationship with the patient. Nurses need to approach the patient with respect and maintain the person’s privacy, acknowledging that they are a fellow human being, with their own personal characteristics and beliefs (Condit, 2016, p. 371) (Walsh & Kowanko, 2002, p. 143-144, 149).

Overall, deontology is based upon not just by following universal rules or performing what is ought to do, but by respecting human beings as rational beings as well. Deontology judges the ethical motive of an action not by its consequences, merely by the reasoning behind it.

The deontology theory is the moral obligation to act in accordance with a certain set of principles and rules regardless of the outcome (Kantian Duty Base Deontological Ethics, n.d.). It is an ethics of duty. To determine whether Susan should have her sentence commuted from a deontological standpoint, two formulations of the categorical imperative of the theory has to be met. The first is the principles of universalizability where the actions must be willed universally without exception (PL 360: Week 3 – Do the Right Thing, n.d.). What this is saying is the action has to done the same all

Deontology theory can be seen within those persons that provide protection for another without question no matter the inherent danger. The will to act is shown through this theory such as that would be considered of the Spartan Army. The Spartan Army would not ask how many strong are the enemy but where the enemy is.

Deontology is an ethical position that examines the morality of an action based on the action’s adherence to rule or rules. Many times is described as obligation or rule based ethics (Alexander). Therefore, the only actions that are considered moral are those that are performed solely for one’s duty to the moral law rather than one’s desire. Deontology is the school of thought that Kant comes from. Immanuel Kant was a critical figure in philosophy in the modern age. His work was the foundation of the most famous form of Deontology.

According to Plato in an ideal society the ruler should be paid no more than four times what the lowest member of that society get paid. In 2012 the CEO compensation pay was 354 times average salary of a CEO for example Thomas Montag CEO of Bank of America received nearly 30 million dollars, Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs and Walid Chammah, CEO of Morgan Stanley were each given about $10 million in compensation during the financial crisis. The CEO of these financial institution steered the United States into worst economic crisis since the Great Depression which lead to lose of millions of jobs, homes and retirement savings.

Deontological Viewpoint 1. Aboriginal rights versus rights of a minor: Do you worry it is a slippery slope to paternalistic western thinking? The Deontological viewpoint places views decisions as being ethical through the intrinsic nature of the action rather than on the end results of such actions (Edge & Groves, 2006, p. 38). Being a minor, the rights of the child were placed into the hands of her parents.

Deontology permits a comparative examination, because it allows for evaluation of an action based on how much it deviates from “the correct action” that would promote an autonomous individual. In essence, Kant finds that all have an absolute duty to avoid acts that treat people as a means to some other end; rather, people’s actions must encourage the rationally independent individual.

To analyze the dilemma one must understand how a consequentialist and a deontological would come to their conclusions. A basic difference is the consequentialist would believe the end justifies the means. A deontologist would conclude that irrespective of outcomes, the method or means should conform to a stricture or rule set.

Describe the main principles of the two normative ethical theories of deontology and utilitarianism. Compare and contrast the two theories, bringing out any problems or limitations you see in each.

Deontology according to the philosophy and ethical theories lecture of Butcher (2017e) is a common theory used in healthcare with much of everything the advanced practice nurse does being grounded in this concept. Deontology focuses on duty and rules of human actions, addressing the rightness and wrongness of what we do (Rich, 2018). When describing deontology, Rich (2018) states, “According to Kant, only dutiful actions have moral worth. Even when individuals do not want to act from a motivation of duty, Kant believed they are required ethically to do so” (p. 191). As long as the rules that were applied in the situation are moral and ethical, then regardless of the outcome, you are considered to have acted ethically.

The first of the Deontology theories is the agent-centered theory. Agent-centered is about a person’s rights and duties. People are responsible for making sure that their actions are morally right and do not interfere with obligations. With agent-centered, we are supposed to perform actions even if we know that the outcome would be better if we decided to ignore our obligations and principles. Agent-centered theories define obligation as “an obligation for a particular agent to take or refrain from taking some action” (Alexander, Larry and Moore, Michael).

In nursing, if we make decisions and can justify what we practise and it leads to a positive happy end, even if it is not the ideal answer, is considered an acceptable outcome. An example may be giving chemotherapy to a cancer patient, which is poisonous and extremely painful, however the final outcome is the pleasure or goodness of being well or cancer free. In comparison, applying theories of Deontology to nursing, in which we decide if something is moral if and only if it follows the. The categorical imperatives criteria of universality, humanity, autonomy and kingdom of ends are comprehensive, however it gives a clear description of what is required to give the best ethical absolutist decision. Deontology could be questionable within some medical practise as it is a very solid, not black or white, do not care about the consequences type of theory. Virtue Ethics based on character, can be used to decide if you are a good nurse and if you practise the way you care for people by reflecting on the good virtues and being

2.     Divine Command Theory: This theory is categorized as a deontological theory because the premises is that there is a God and one set of divine rules. If an individual adheres to the divine rules than he/she is morally and ethically correct, regardless of the consequences of his/her actions.

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a subject of philosophy that engages itself in systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong. It investigates questions of right and wrong and of the best way of living for people. In this essay I am going to explain the differences between the ethical schools of consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics and argue that in my opinion deontology is the most reasonable theory of the three.