Deontological Ethics: Group 2

Deontological
Ethics
Group 2
“The end doesn’t
justify the
means.” -Olvid
Deontological Ethics
• Derived from the Greek word “deon” meaning “duty”

• Deontology is a category of normative ethical theories that
encompasses any theory which is primarily concerned with adherence
to certain rules or duties.
• Consequences do NOT matter!
• Intention is relevant. I am acting a certain way only if I act for the
right reason.
• Actions can be morally good required, permitted or forbidden.
Deontological theories hold that actions
that are morally right are those in
accordance with certain rules, duties,
rights, or maxims.
Deontological
Ethics Unlike consequentialism, a
deontological theory
Like consequentialist
emphasizes the role of duties
theories, deontological & rights
theories are ethical
theories.
They are theories about

what constitutes morally
correct/incorrect action,
what makes actions
right/wrong.
Deontological theories reject the
consequentialist idea that the moral
value of an act is determined solely by
its consequences: deontology is a form
of non-consequentialism.
Examples
• Divine Command Theory

• “The Golden Rule”
• Natural law & natural right theories
• The non-aggression principle
• Kantian Ethics (categorical imperative)
Divine Command
Theory
Divine Command Theory
• The Divine Command Theory (DCT) essentially teaches

that a thing (i.e., action, behavior, choice, etc.) is good
because God commands it to be done or evil because God
forbids it from being done. Thus, to say that it is good to
love our neighbors is semantically equivalent to saying
God commands us to love our neighbors. Similarly, it is
evil to commit murder because God forbids murder.
The Golden
Rule
The Golden Rule
• “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Moral philosophy has barely taken notice of the golden
rule in its own terms despite the rule’s prominence in
commonsense ethics. This article approaches the rule,
therefore, through the rubric of building its philosophy,
or clearing a path for such construction. The approach
reworks common belief rather than elaborating an
abstracted conception of the rule’s logic.
Immanuel Kant • Influential German philosopher in
ethics and metaphysics,
epistemology
• A central figure of the
Enlightenment Period
• Critique of Pure Reason –
metaphysical and epistemological
work
• Metaphysics of Moral – ethical
work
Immanuel Kant Kantian ethics rests on two
major claims:
1. The sole source of moral

goodness is the Will
2. A Good Will is one which acts

from universalizable reasons
The Will as the Source of
Goodness
• In looking to what we should actually ascribe the word

“good”, Kant first rules out abilities/talents, because these
can be used for evil.
• He also rules out consequences, because those are not
ultimately up to us, and goodness should not be based on
luck.
• The only thing we always have control over is our will−we
can choose what policies to enact within our own minds.
The Categorical
Imperative
• Moral claims are imperatives.
• There are two kinds of imperatives: hypothetical and
categorical.
• A categorical imperative is unconditional. It says “You
should do Y”
• According to Kant, only one imperative could rise to the
level of being a categorical imperative; hence it is the
categorical imperative
The Categorical
Imperative
• The Categorical Imperative: Act only on maxims that you can

simultaneously will to become a universal law
• There are two kinds of imperatives: hypothetical and
categorical.
• A categorical imperative is unconditional. It says “You should
do Y”
• According to Kant, only one imperative could rise to the level
Sample Situations
• “ A doctor who believed that abortion was wrong, even in

order to save the mother’s life might nevertheless
consistently believe that it would be permissible to perform a
hysterectomy on a pregnant woman with cancer. In carrying
out the hysterectomy, the doctor would aim to save the
women’s life while merely foreseeing the death of the Fetus.
Performing an abortion, by contrast, would involve intending
to kill the fetus as a means to saving the mother.”
Trolley Experiment
A runaway trolley is headed towards five people.
You are in a position to switch the tracks and cause

the trolley to swerve towards one innocent bystander
and away from the five innocent people.
Would you flip the switch?

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Deontological

• Derived from the Greek word “deon” meaning “duty”

They are theories about

• Divine Command Theory

• The Divine Command Theory (DCT) essentially teaches

• “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

1. The sole source of moral

2. A Good Will is one which acts

• In looking to what we should actually ascribe the word

• The Categorical Imperative: Act only on maxims that you can

• “ A doctor who believed that abortion was wrong, even in

A runaway trolley is headed towards five people.

You are in a position to switch the tracks and cause

Would you flip the switch?

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