Kant 's Moral Theory And Ethics

| Regardless of consequences, certain moral principles are binding, focusing on duty rather than results or moral obligation over what the individual would prefer to do (Treviño & Nelson, 2007, Ch. 4).In ethics, deontological ethics, or deontology (Greek: deon meaning obligation or duty), is a theory holding that decisions should be made solely or primarily by considering one's duties and the rights of others. Some systems are based on biblical or tenets from sacred.

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.

“Deontology is a moral theory that emphasizes one’s duty to do a particular action just because the action, itself, is inherently right and not through any other sorts of calculations – such as the consequences of the action” (Boylan, 2009, p. 171). In many aspects deontology is contrasted with utilitarianism. Deontology is based upon principle and does not calculate the consequences (Boylan, 2009, p. 171). Deontology attracts those seeking a stronger moral attraction because it refers to commanding rather than commending and commanding is a stronger structure (Boylan, 2009, p. 172). The

Immanuel Kant is said by many to be one of the most influential “thinkers” in the history of Western philosophy (McCormick, n.d.), this being said, most of his theories continue to be taught and are highly respected by society. Kant was a firm believer that the morality of any action can be assessed by the motivation behind it (McCormick, n.d.). In other words, if an action is good but the intention behind the action is not good, the action itself would be considered immoral. Those who follow the utilitarian view would disagree, arguing that an action which benefits the most number of people would be considered moral regardless of the intentions behind it. Kant argues that the intention behind an action matters more than the number of people benefited. This theory of morality falls hand in hand with Kant 's concept of good will, and through examples I hope to explain to readers, in a simple way, what Kant was trying to convey.

Kant argues that mere conformity with the moral law is not sufficient for moral goodness. I will argue that Kant is right. In this essay I will explain why Kant distinguishes between conforming with the moral law and acting for the sake of the moral law, and what that distinction means to Kant, before arguing why Kant was right.

Deontology or also know as Deontology ethics is an approach that is taken that determines the goodness and rightness of a specific act or rules and duties that a specific person has to perform. Deontology is the complete opposite of consequentialism. Consequentialism is the where the outcome of an act has a major influence and not the actual act itself. In better words it is what comes after the action that is made and not the action itself. As for deontology an action can be considered right or something acceptable even if the outcome of the action is something bad. A perfect example for deontology would be “ do onto others what you would have them do onto you.” This is just something that

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.

Another topic that Kant contributed to is morality. According to Kant, moral laws cannot be derived from human nature. To put it in other terms, it is not human nature that should be used as a model to how we should behave morally. Kant believed that humans do not always make the right moral decisions because human nature can be flawed at times, often times choosing an animalistic desire over doing something that is morally permissible. In addition, Kant believed that the outcome of human nature is not the central issue when it comes to knowing what is right or what is wrong. Instead, Kant believes that it each of the individual actions that should be analyzed to see if it is morally wrong or if it is morally right. Kant’s point of view about morality is different from previous philosophers, because most of them looked to human nature in order to find the morally right things to do.

Deontology is what some will see as a duty. With utilitarianism a person will do the right thing if the consequences of their actions are good. But with this reasoning if the actions are not good but the consequences happen to be good the act may be believed that this is a good ethical act. Police officer have a duty to do and lawyers ethically act good to make their client just as happy.

The expression "deontology" is gotten from the Greek word Deon which signifies "restricting obligation" (The Free-Dictionary). This implies the substance of deontological ways to deal with moral speculations is performing obligations for obligations purpose. Kant outlines what he implies by obligations in the accompanying quote: "Obligation is the need of acting from regard for the law" (Kant 88). Kant additionally characterizes moral obligation as a target rule that takes after the guidelines of absolute

Deontology come from the Greek word for duty. Deontology is the belief that good outcomes are largely irrelevant to moral concerns. Deontology takes away the effects of our actions and places the focus on the actions themselves. Actions that are prohibited in deontology include lying, killing, and dishonesty (Williams and Arrigo, 2012). In our example, Slager was responsible for the death of another, lied about how the incident occurred, and was overall dishonest.

Deontological ethics are based on moral obligations, duties and rights. Rules are to guide decision making in deontological ethics. Deontological ethics have a more individualistic focus, as individuals are supposed to be treated with respect and dignity (Sexty, 2011, 7).

Ever since Kant 's publication of his renowned ethical treatises, deontologists and utilitarians alike have argued over which moral theory is most coherent. Yet, in Mill 's critique of Kant, Mill sidesteps this issue, not by directly critiquing Kant 's moral theory, but rather by asserting that Kant 's moral theory is actually just a form of utilitarianism. Essentially, Kant 's universal law test is nothing more than a veiled appeal to consequences, as Mill correctly claims in his critique of Kant.

These systems, rules and expectations fall within the broad ethical framework of deontology, making the limits of their ethics explicit. Deontology insists on obedience and compliance, and as such, an

Proponents of deontological ethics do not consider consequences as important when determining whether an individual is moral or immoral. Morality is based solely on the person’s action. Several ethical theories are deontological theories.