Pdf influence of deontological versus consequentialist. Liberal and conservative priorities are aligned on opposite sides of two theoretical divides in moral philosophy. Deontology is an approach to ethics which adheres to the theory that an end does not justify the means while teleology. Utilitarianism is the principle that the correct form of action be taken to benefit the greatest number of people. The most famous version of non consequentialism is deontology, which holds that one has an absolute duty to obey certain rules. The right act is the act which maximises wellbeing. Sidgwick on consequentialism and deontology 3 66 there is an initial puzzle about this account. Deontological ethics is commonly contrasted to consequentialism, virtue ethics, and pragmatic ethics.
Because deontological theories are best understood in contrast to consequentialist ones, a brief look at consequentialism and a survey of the problems with it that motivate its deontological opponents, provides a helpful prelude to taking up deontological theories themselves. According to the definition of deontology in ethics, it focuses more on obligation, duty, or ideal expectations. Hybrid approaches to political and moral obligation are particularly appealing to. Consequentialism and the law in medicine philosophical. Consequentialism, whether ethical or epistemic traditionally, consequentialist theories are held to consist of two parts. Virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism eagle scholar. Virtue ethics apply to ethics, while deontology and consequentialism apply to morals.
This chapter first examines sidgwicks critique of deontology and defence of consequentialism, arguing that it is repeatedly unfair, holding the principles it criticizes to standards sidgwick did not apply to his own consequentialist axioms, and in particular fails by lacking rosss concept of prima facie duty. Consequentialism and kantianism are two opposing concepts that fall under normativeethics that deals with such questions as rightness or wrongness of an action. General substitutability my principle can be introduced by a nonmoral example from everyday. Consequentialism and deontology are the two dominant theories in contemporary normative ethics. What are the differences between consequentialism, deontology. Consequentialism and deontology are two such theories that are classified under ethics of conduct, i. Utilitarianism i the most common form of consequentialism is utilitarianism i utilitarianism combines consequentialism with the claim that the only valuable consequence is pleasure, and the only disvaluable consequence is pain.
Jean thomas abstract this article analyzes hybrid philosophical models that combine deontological and consequentialist principles. On each of these divides, there is a simple necessary answer to which side must be right. The slogan of much of deontology is that the right is independent of the good. In this terminology, action is more important than the consequences. Consequentialism is usually contrasted with deontological ethics or deontology, in that deontology, in which rules and moral duty are central, derives the rightness or wrongness of ones conduct from the character of the behaviour itself rather than the outcomes of the conduct. Consequentialism, deontology, ethics, and virtue the loop. Rule consequentialism is a theory that is sometimes seen as an attempt to reconcile deontology and consequentialismand in some cases, this is stated as a criticism of rule consequentialism.
Consequentialism and deontological theories are two of the main theories in ethics. Whether an act is morally right or good depends on whether it is in conformity or conflict with certain virtues or character traits. Influence of deontological versus consequentialist orientations on. In contrast to act consequentialism, deontology is an agentrelative theory. In contemporary moral philosophy, deontology is used most commonly. One of our foci is to contrast deontology with consequentialism, and clarify the. Whether an act is morally right depends solely on consequences or the goodness of consequences. In deontological ethics an action is considered morally good because of some characteristic of the action itself, not because the product of the action is. Like its previouslymentioned counterpart, it focuses on conduct, but there is a minor difference between deontology and consequentialism in this case. This chapter first examines sidgwicks critique of deontology and defence of consequentialism, arguing that it is repeatedly unfair, holding the principles it criticizes to standards. The three competing approaches to ethical analysis are consequentialism, deontology, and virtue eth in consequentialist ethics, the moral content of an action is determined by the real and. Sometimes, it may appear that both these theories simply arrive at the same conclusion by way of different paths. Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of ones conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct. Virtue ethics, on the other hand, is considered more of a normative ethical theory.
Christianity is one form of deontology and the ten commandments represent one set of rules. Pdf consequentialism, deontology, and distributive justice. Deontology kantian dutybased ethics seven pillars institute. Utilitarianism was the term that was used to refer to consequentialism till 1960s, but today it is seen more of as a special type of consequentialism. The rejection of consequentialism, for example, ch seheffler the theory of morality chicago. The two criticisms pertinent here are that consequentialism is, on the one hand, overly demanding, and. There are many different forms of consequentialism depending on how one values outcomes. There are three major categories of ethical systems that students typically learn about in philosophy classes. Redirected from deontology deontological ethics or deontology greek.
For example, under utilitarianism the goal is to take whatever action maximizes happiness, regardless of the motivations or nature. Utilitarianism, deontological, and virtue theory ethics. Compare and contrast utilitarianism and deontology bartleby. Compare and contrast utilitarianism and deontology.
Mar 29, 2014 consequentialism is the analysis of the expected benefit of the results for a given course of action. Consequentialism, frequently identified with utilitarianism, is the theory according to which right actions are those that maximize good outcomes. In living by a deontological ethics, considerations about the consequences of an action will almost inevitably come into play, especially when pressed with more extraordinary cases. Its four conditions are 67 supposed to be jointly necessary for selfevidence, but the second tells 68 us to ascertain the selfevidence of the proposition. Historical introduction to philosophyformalism and. Deontological ethics, in philosophy, ethical theories that place special emphasis on the relationship between duty and the morality of human actions. Pdf three general theories of ethics and the integrative. The term deontology is derived from the greek deon, duty, and logos, science.
Suppose i get another cavity, and two dentists are equally good and available. Difference between consequentialism and utilitarianism. Consequentialism and deontology bibliography philpapers. Consequentialism tells us we need to take into account the final consequence of our action, even if the act itself is not morally good. Consequentialist theories hold that the rightness and wrongness of an action is only determined by its tendency to produce certain consequences. In deontological ethics an action is considered morally good because of some characteristic of the action. Deontological ethics stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. The term deontological was first used to describe the current, specialised definition by c. Deontological ethics i deontological ethics says that being good consists in following the right rulesmeeting all your obligations.
Utilitarianism also called consequentialism is a moral. Consequentialism is frequently criticized on a number of grounds. Consequentialism i consequentialism in ethics is the view that whether or not an action is good or bad depends solely on what e ects that action has on the world. Deontology, consequentialism and moral realism minerva. Consequentialism even though deontology and consequentialism can be extremely similar, both contain key factors that make each idea unique and very different.
This approach tends to fit well with our natural intuition about what is or isnt ethical. What is the difference between consequentialism and utilitarianism. Consequentialism the results matter, not the actions themselves. This article aims to defend a rossian deontology of the kind that was first articulated by david ross 1930. In summary, consequentialism looks at the result of ones chosen action as the norm for how one ought to act. Pdf consequentialism, deontology, and distributive. Consequentialism essay sample even though deontology and consequentialism can be extremely similar, both contain key factors that make each idea unique and very different. This is the main difference between utilitarianism and deontology. Differences between consequentialism and kantianism. Kant and deontological theory immanuel kant was a moral philosopher. Deontological theories of morality are usually contrasted with consequentialism e.
Consequentialism looked more like a topdown approach on how to live, one that doesnt necessarily suggest any political theory, or does so only ambiguously. The former determines whether actions are right or wrong, and. If this condition by 69 itself establishes selfevidence, what work is left for the. In contemporary moral philosophy, deontology is used most commonly to refer to moral conceptions which endorse several theses. Deontology vs consequentialism research papers academia. Kant and deontological theory essay 1226 words 5 pages. His theory, better known as deontological theory, holds that intent, reason, rationality, and good will are motivating factors in the ethical decision making process. An attempt to provide a satisfactory account of the distinction between the agentneutral and the agentrelative using formal logic, and to address the relationship between this distinction and that between consequentialism and deontology. Deontology is exactly the opposite of utilitarianism when it comes to the explanations of its concepts. The second category of moral approach is the teleological one, which will be taken in this study as the consequentialist ethics. Consequentialism is the analysis of the expected benefit of the results for a given course of action.
While deontology is based on mans absolute duty towards mankind and how it is given priority over results, teleology is based on the results of an action and on whether an action produces greater happiness and less pain. The paragraphs below explain the differences between these three theories with examples. The example of consumer responses to products made using child labour is then explored to show how these two different approaches to ethics can. However, consequentialism focuses on judging the moral worth of the results of the actions and deontological ethics focuses on judging the actions themselves. Consequentialism this approach to ethics is based upon the aphorism, ends justify the means. Consequentialism, deontology, and distributive justice. Consequentialism emphasizes the wellbeing of the group, external elements of the world. It is also contrasted with virtue ethics, which focuses on the. I \the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people i the greatest happiness principle \actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they. These are complicated questions, and there are many different versions of consequentialism and many different versions of deontology. I some utilitarians even allow for there to be quanti able units of pain and pleasure. I unlike consequentialism, it is highly unsituational. Through empirical means consequentialism seeks the most desirable ends good for mankind.
An argument for consequentialism 401 principle along these lines must be accepted in order to explain why the above argument is valid. According to act consequentialism ac, the right action is the one that produces the most value the best state of affairs, which may include the act itself. Pdf what is the difference between deontological and. This is no surprise, given there is almost never an ideal candidate who satisfies all of a given voters criteria. For example, welfare consequentialism, or welfarism, maintains that all that matters or is good is welfare, or wellbeing. Consequentialism focuses on the consequences or results of an action. Jun 08, 2016 consequentialism, deontology, and the ethics of voting the debate of consequentialism vs. I we can give an easy model of the value of an action.
Professor gendler opens with a final criticism of utilitarianism from bernard williams. Ross thought that it was selfevident that we had the following obligations. On the other hand, it says the end does not justify the means. Deontology is defined as the area of ethics involving the responsibility, moral duty and commitment. Two of these are particularly apt for revealing the temptations motivating the alternative approach to deontic ethics that is deontology. Deontology 1 introduction what determines which actions are morally required. The purpose of this article is to explain different ethical theories and compare and contrast them in a way thats clear and easy for students to understand. Its explanatory power is a reason to prefer this new version of consequentialism. Cs ogorman, ap macken, w cullen, c dunne1, mf higgins. If this condition by 69 itself establishes selfevidence, what work is left for the others to do. It just requires that people follow the rules and do their duty. View deontology vs consequentialism research papers on academia. Both utilitarianism and deontology deal with the ethics and consequences of. What is the difference between consequentialism and.
Deontological ethics wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Deontology does not believe in the concept of the end justifies the means. Rossian deontology postulates a plurality of basic moral principles, such as the principle not to harm people and the principle of promise keeping. Sidgwick, rashdall, mctaggart, and moore were consequentialists, holding that right acts always maximize the good. Deontological ethics there are two major ethics theories that attempt to specify and justify moral rules and principles. Never kill an innocent person or never lie are examples of such rules.
He essentially spent his whole adult life at the university and never truly travelled outside of the city. Immanuel kant was born in 1724 in the prussian city of konigsberg. Deontology decision making to make a moral decision involves balancing the rights and obligations of all those individuals involved in the decision. Moral philosophy is dominated by the distinction between deontology, or the justification of actions that conform to a particular set of duties, and consequentialism, or the justification of actions that advance a desirable set of outcomes. Virtue theory emphasizes character traits rather than the rules or consequences while deontology is described as an action that is right only if it is in accordance with a moral rule or principle. Hybrid approaches to political and moral obligation are particularly appealing to moral realists because they enable policymakers to. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act or omission from acting is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. A long tradition in decision making assumes that peoples decisions are aimed at maximizing some bene. Deontological ethics routledge encyclopedia of philosophy. Deontology is opposed, therefore, to consequentialist or teleological theories in which the goal of moral behavior is the achievement of some good or beneficial state of affairs for oneself or for others. Deontology and consequentialism, again notes on liberty. Prichard, carritt, ross, and broad defended the deontological view that rejects that claim. Apr 17, 2009 the following is an excerpt from article de1971 from the christian research institute. Apr 23, 2017 the purpose of this article is to explain different ethical theories and compare and contrast them in a way thats clear and easy for students to understand.
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