Two examples of consequentialism are utilitarianism and hedonism. Christopher freiman, associate professor in philosophy at william and mary and writer at bleeding heart libertarians, identifies as both a libertarian and utilitarian since my first real introduction to libertarianism was harvard theorist robert nozick, i originally envisioned the philosophy as a rightsbased, and thereby in some sense deontological, political theory, with likeminded. However, consequentialism focuses on judging the moral worth of the results of the actions and deontological ethics focuses on judging the actions themselves. 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. Christianity is one form of deontology and the ten commandments represent one set of rules. But if telling a lie would help save a persons life, consequentialism says its the right thing to do. Ethical reasoning, donaldson and werhane outline the three fundamental theories of ethics. Virtue ethics philosophy in its return to the table of discussion puts much effort in distinguishing itself from consequentialism and deontology. Deontology is essentially agentrelative, because it require an agent to have a special concern, but could also be agentneutral 15 dougherty, 2011.
Consequentialism holds that the consequences of ones actions are the basis for moral judgment. According to the kantian, what are really good or bad are not the consequences of our actions, but the actions themselves. Sometimes, it may appear that both these theories simply arrive at the same conclusion by way of different paths. Virtue ethics has its classical roots in plato and aristotle. Hybrid approaches to political and moral obligation are particularly appealing to moral realists because they enable policymakers to. Ethical deontology philosophy oxford bibliographies. Oxford scholarship online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Deontological ethics stanford encyclopedia of philosophy.
Prichard, carritt, ross, and broad defended the deontological view that rejects that claim. Combining deontology and consequentialist principles may also operate under a reverse logic in which deontological priorities constrain consequentialist ideals. Pdf on feb 1, 20, c s ogorman and others published what is the. According to the definition of deontology in ethics, it focuses more on obligation, duty, or ideal expectations. Consequentialism and kantianism are two opposing concepts that fall under normative ethics that deals with such questions as rightness or wrongness of an action. Or a theory can evaluate the character traits one demonstrates when one actsthis is called virtue consequentialism. A second feature endorsed by deontological con ceptions is also best understood by way of contrast with consequentialism. Pdf influence of deontological versus consequentialist. Or a theory can evaluate the motives by which someone actsthis is called motive consequentialism. The most prominent consequencebased theory is utilitarianism. Deontological ethics i deontological ethics is often seen as the opposite of consequentialist ethics. Deontological ethics is seen as the antithesis to consequential ethics in that deontology concerns itself with the nature of an action and not simply the outcome korsgaard, 2004. Consequentialism is a theory in ethics that claims actions are good or bad solely based on. What is the difference between consequentialism and deontological ethics.
Whereas consequentialists maintain that the right action is determined solely by its consequences, deontologists deny this and hold that the right action is not determined solely by its consequences. Deontology consequentialism and deontology are clashing moral philosophies in the field of 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. Deontological ethics is commonly contrasted to consequentialism, virtue ethics, and pragmatic ethics.
Deontology, consequentialism and moral realism minerva. Of all the things a person might do at any given moment, the morally right action is the one with the best overall. Apr 17, 2009 the following is an excerpt from article de1971 from the christian research institute. Consequentialism, also known as teological ethics, can be further divided into ethical egoism and utilitarianism. The term deontology is derived from the greek deon, duty, and logos, science. Philosophical ethics consequentialism the value of an action the actions moral worth, its rightness or wrongness derives entirely from its consequences to evaluate an action, look at its consequences. Deontological ethics, in philosophy, ethical theories that place special emphasis on the relationship between duty and the morality of human actions. Deontological ethics there are two major ethics theories that attempt to specify and justify moral rules and principles. One reason that is commonly put forward to justify this opposition is that they take different moral.
A similar focus on character is also found in chinese philosophy. The choice between consequentialist and kantian ethics is a dif. Hence, accounts which try to get at the heart of the difference between these three approaches by taking as their starting point act utilitarianism will fail to reflect. In moral philosophy, deontological ethics or deontology from greek. 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. Consequentialism and the law in medicine philosophical. The most famous version of nonconsequentialism is deontology, which holds that one has an absolute duty to obey certain rules. Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its consequences are. Deontology is usually contrasted with consequentialism and both with virtue ethics. They clash because each offers a different approach to determining right from wrong. Virtue ethics, kantian ethics and consequentialism university of. The aim of the book is to demonstrate the possibility of constructing a synthetic theory from ethical traditions that are generally considered to be contradictory.
Never kill an innocent person or never lie are examples of such rules. Whether an act is morally right or good depends on whether it is in conformity or conflict with certain virtues or character traits. Even though deontology and consequentialism can be extremely similar, both contain key factors that make each idea unique and very different. Deontological ethics i deontological ethics says that being good consists in following the right rulesmeeting all your obligations. Consequentialism and deontology bibliography philpapers. Satisficing consequentialism, for example, judges actions based on whether they can produce good enough consequences, as opposed to. The term deontology comes from the greek word deon, meaning duty. What is the difference between consequentialism and.
There are three major categories of ethical systems that students typically learn about in philosophy classes. I \the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of. Like its previouslymentioned counterpart, it focuses on conduct, but there is a minor difference between deontology and consequentialism in this case. Consequentialism focuses on the consequences or results of an action. The internet encyclopedia of philosophy gives a plain and simple definition of consequentialism. May 21, 2017 an explication of the group of normative ethical theories known as deontology, which focuses on duties, rights and obligations over consequences or virtues. Consequentialism and deontology are two such theories that are classified under ethics of conduct, i. In contemporary moral philosophy, deontology is used most commonly to refer to moral conceptions which endorse several theses. The distinction between consequentialism and deontology is invoked all the time in normative ethics but, as with many.
Virtue ethics, on the other hand, is considered more of a normative ethical theory. The theory of deontology states we are morally obligated to act in accordance with a certain set of principles and rules regardless of outcome. Pdf utilitarian and deontological ethics in medicine. 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. Deontology and consequentialism, again notes on liberty. For instance, most people would agree that lying is wrong. Mar 29, 2014 virtue ethics looks at the character of a person. In deontological ethics an action is considered morally good because of some characteristic of the action. I unlike consequentialism, it is highly unsituational. In contemporary moral philosophy, deontology is one of those kinds of normative. Consequentialism and deontological theories are two of the main theories in ethics. Differences between consequentialism and kantianism.
Pdf consequentialism, deontology, and distributive justice. Pdf consequentialism, deontology, and distributive. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. The paragraphs below explain the differences between these three theories with examples. Virtue ethics, kantian ethics and consequentialism introduction contemporary theories of virtue ethics are often presented as theories that are in opposition to kantian ethics and consequentialist ethics.
Jean thomas abstract this article analyzes hybrid philosophical models that combine deontological and consequentialist principles. Broad it signified two opposite tendencies in ethics, in frankenas textbooks, however, it becomes. 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. Differences between consequentialism and deontological. Characteristicofconsequen tialism is an optimization thesis. Or a theory can evaluate the rules by which someone actsthis is called rule consequentialism. On the other hand, deontology is an approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves. Consequentialism, frequently identified with utilitarianism, is the theory according to which right actions are those that maximize good outcomes. Moral realists often combine deontological and consequentialist principles to resolve conflicts between different firstorder rights or duties, specify minimum levels. It focuses on identifying the moral conduct through which the right actions can. Consequentialism, deontology, ethics, and virtue the loop.
Virtue ethics, kantian ethics and consequentialism introduction. Consequentialism, deontology, and distributive justice. The primary goal of this monograph is to justify the possibility of building a hybrid theory of normative ethics which can combine ethical consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics. In almost every introductory ethics course the student is taught that there are two basic kinds of moral theories. On this view, deontological intuitions are generally sound, in the sense that they usually lead to what would emerge from a. Consequentialism and deontology are the two dominant theories in contemporary normative ethics. Consequentialism is frequently criticized on a number of grounds. An explication of the group of normative ethical theories known as deontology, which focuses on duties, rights and obligations over consequences or. Two of these are particularly apt for revealing the temptations motivating the alternative approach to deontic ethics that is deontology. Ethics four branches 4 applied ethics applied ethics is a part of normative ethics that focus on particular fields the philosophical examination, from a moral standpoint, of particular issues in private and public life that are matters of moral judgment brenda almond.
In this terminology, action is more important than the consequences. Deontology kantian dutybased ethics seven pillars institute. The two criticisms pertinent here are that consequentialism is, on the one hand, overly demanding, and. Utilitarianism also called consequentialism is a moral. Pdf what is the difference between deontological and. Bbc ethics introduction to ethics consequentialism. Whether an act is morally right depends solely on consequences or the goodness of consequences. I where the consequentialist is concerned with the outcome of the action, the deonotologist is concerned with the nature of the action itself more speci cally, the rulelawreasonmaxim for which an action was taken. In contrast to act consequentialism, deontology is an agentrelative theory. Sidgwick, rashdall, mctaggart, and moore were consequentialists, holding that right acts always maximize the good. In class we also discussed kants two categorical imperatives, which are related to deontology. Apr 27, 2017 deontological ethics is commonly contrasted to consequentialism, virtue ethics, and pragmatic ethics. Virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism eagle scholar. Deontologys relations to consequentialism reconsidered.
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