Deontology Vs. Kantian Ethics

The word deontology comes from the Greek word “deontos” which means duty (Adams, 2011). Deontology can be defined as doing what is morally correct regardless of the final results as long as they abide by the moral principles. Certain actions, like lying, are never allowed regardless if its outcomes benefit the purpose and no harm is caused. The theory states that whether an action is ethical and follows the moral rules, depends on the intentions behind the decisions (Pieper, 2008). So for an action to be “good” and morally right, it must have been performed at goodwill and abide to moral values.

In 1788, German philosopher Immanuel Kant propounded the ethical theory of Deontology which is the moral compulsion to act according to the laid down guidelines of a set of maxims despite the result or consequences that such actions may incur in the end. While religious deontology was based on divine decrees, Kantian deontology is based on human reasoning; rationality. Deontology expects that whenever a moral agent makes a decision it should not be under the influence of emotions, human inclinations or even selfish desires but should be based on morals and rationale solely.

What is ethics? According to Velasquez et al (2010), “ethics is a well-founded standard of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations,

Ethics are defined as rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad. Ethics is also an area of study that involves ideas about what is good and bad behavior and what is morally right or wrong. Ethics can vary from person to person. Ethics deals with making moral judgments about what is right or wrong, good or bad. Right and wrong are qualities or moral judgments we give to actions and conduct. Ethics provides us with a way to make moral choices when we are uncertain about what to do in a situation involving moral issues. In everyday life we make moral choices and judgements.

Ethics are defined as “a set of moral principles and perceptions about right versus wrong and the resulting philosophy of conduct that is practiced by an individual, group, profession, or culture” (Barker, 2001, p. 159). In the field

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that involves the study of good and bad, of right and wrong. It includes theories such as relativism and universalism. Virtue, Categorical Imperative, and the principle of utility are three ethical standards. Environmental ethics is the application of ethical standards to relationships between humans and nonhuman entities.

If we were to lie, we can never guarentee that our actions will bring a good result, but in fact could bring about a worser result. Kant believed lying was commiting an unnessasary evil. That acts are only right when they are performed with our moral duty to not lie. Lying is morally wrong, it impedes on my ability to make free rational choices, and also lying robs others of their freedom to make their own rational choices. Lying leads others

Kant: I suppose that would not be a very pleasant life to live. However, you cannot just negate the fact that she indeed lied about the crime for that is not the ideal thing she could have done. You should always do what is ideal in any situation. In this case, it would have been to send Marshall to jail since he was the culprit, which Briony did witness firsthand and not Robbie.

So Ethics or moral philosophy is the branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct.

2. Kantian deontology describes a human being as an agent that voluntarily acts with a specific goal or end in mind. Acting with the reason of achieving a goal or end as the hypothetical imperative and this is led by desire. Deontology however explains that for an action to be truly

Introduction: Ethics is the department of philosophy concerned with what is good for people and society. The term is derived from the Greek word ethos that could suggest custom, habit, man or woman or disposition. At its most effective, ethics is a device of moral standards. They influence how human beings make decisions and lead their lives. (Spencer, Massing, & Gough, 2017)

Deontology is a kind of duty ethics, word deontology comes from the Greek words of duty and science. Deontology is a kind of moral ethics in which choices are based on moral values.

According to Guido, ethics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the evaluation of human action. A broader definition would be that ethics involves the principles or assumptions underpinning the way individuals or groups ought to conduct themselves.

The word deontology is derived from the Greek words deon, meaning duty or obligation, and logos, meaning science or study. This school of ethics looks at the acts we attempt to do, and holds that right becomes before good. This means that if an act is not right, it may not be undertaken, no matter how much good it produces; an act is judged not on its consequences but whether or not it follows from one’s duty. Deontology recognizes two different types of imperatives; hypothetical and categorical. The categorical imperative is the deontological way of doing ethics. An example of an hypothetical imperative is “if I want to have white teeth, then I should brush my teeth”, and example of a categorical imperative is “I should brush my teeth”. According to Kant one should act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without contradiction. This means that when you want to steal something you should think about it as a universal law, and thereby give other people the right to steal from you. However, if stealing would be an universal law then private property would be impossible and you would be unable to steal. This is a contradiction, and the general rule in deontology therefore is that stealing is morally

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the principles correlated to human behavior concerning the rightness and wrongness of specific conduct, and to the good and bad that influences and ends those actions (Ditonary.com, 2011). In other words, ethics is the choice people effect in regards to a decision they need to achieve. Without ethics directing the choice an individual makes, moral preferences of what should or should not be done becomes irrelevant. While ethical decisions are made every day there are two different regions in which these choices are made.