Deontology Ethics 1

• Deontology


  An ethical approach centered on rules and professional duties
• Deontology


  • It comes from the Greek words deon (duty) and logos (study of science)
  • It is an ethical theory that judges actions based on whether the action is moral in itself or abides by a set of moral rules
  • To be moral under deontology, you must act based solely on respect for your moral duty and never for personal gain
• Example of deontology


  • If I tell the truth because I know I must respect the other person, then I act out of duty and my action is right
• Deontology


  Contrasted with consequentialism, which judges actions based entirely on their effects
• Consequentialism


  An ethical theory that judges actions based entirely on their effects
• Deontology has existed, as a way of thinking, for thousands of years, but was named and given a secular form by the 18th Century philosopher Immanuel Kant
• Forms of deontology


  • Act Deontology
  • Rules Deontology
• Act Deontology


  Judges the morality of an action within the context of its particular situation
• Rules Deontology


  Requires strict adherence to a set of rules to be considered ethical
• Example of deontology in action


  • It is wrong to kill. Murder breaks both act deontology and rule deontology, as it is against the law (and religious laws) and is also simply an immoral act when viewed in a particular situation
• Examples of deontological theories


  • Divine Command Theory
  • Natural Law Theory and Natural Right Theory
  • Imperative
• Divine Command Theory


  The idea that we have a duty to obey God, and therefore a duty to do or not do whatever God has commanded us to do or not do
• Example of Divine Command Theory


  • Golden Rule - "Do to others as you want them to do to you"
• Natural Law Theory and Natural Right Theory


  Humans have reasoning and the Laws of Nature are discernable by human reason. Humans are morally obligated to use reasoning to discern what the laws are and then to act in conformity with them
• Example of Natural Law Theory


  • To eat too much or too little and place life in jeopardy is morally wrong
• Imperative


  A command, instruction, or directive. Imperatives are used to convey action or tasks that someone should perform or avoid
• Types of Imperatives


  • Hypothetical Imperatives
  • Categorical Imperatives
• Hypothetical Imperatives


  Conditional commands that depend on certain desires or goals, they prescribe action as means to achieve specific ends
• Categorical Imperatives


  Absolute and unconditional moral commands that apply to all rational beings, regardless of their desires or goals
• Types of Deontology


  • Agent-centered deontology
  • Patient-centered deontology
• Agent-centered Deontology


  Focuses on the moral duties of the decision-maker, their principles and intentions
• Agent-relative and agent-neutral duties


  • Agent-relative duties
  • Agent-neutral Duties
• Agent-relative obligation


  An obligation for a specific agent to take or refrain from taking certain actions. Since it is agent-relative, this obligation doesn't necessarily provide anyone else with a reason to support that action
• Agent-centered deontology categories


  • Those that focus on mental state of the agent
  • Those that focus on the nature of the agent's action
• Doctrine of Double Effect


  We should not "set ourselves at evil". We are categorically forbidden for intending to cause evils (such as killing innocents), even to prevent other evils. However, it is acceptable to cause evils unintentionally, even if we foresee them as effects of our actions
• Example of Doctrine of Double Effect


  • A doctor performs a procedure to save a pregnant woman's life knowing it will unintentionally end the unborn child's life
• Patient-Centered Deontology


  Places importance on the rights and interests of the patient, particularly in healthcare decisions, guided by principles such as autonomy and informed consent
• Example of Patient-Centered Deontology


  • In healthcare, a patient-centered deontologist would prioritize a patient's right to refuse treatment, even if against medical advice, respecting their autonomy and informed decision-making
• Immanuel Kant said "The two things awe us most, the starry above me and the moral law within me"
• Most of the time, whether or not we ought to do something isn't really a moral choice - instead, it's just contingent on our desires
• Categorical Imperatives


  Commands you must follow, regardless of your desires. Moral obligations are derived from reason. It doesn't matter whether you want to be moral or not - the moral law is binding on all of us
• You don't need religion to determine what law is, because what's right and wrong is totally knowable just by using your intellect
• Categorical Imperative Formulation 1: The Universalizability Principle


  "Act according to the maxim which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without contradiction"
• Categorical Imperative Formulation 2: The Formula of Humanity


  "Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end, and never as a mere means"
• Elvira is responsible for Tony's death, because her lie caused it. Had she told the truth, only the murderer would have been responsible for any deaths that might have occurred