Ethical Framework Utilitarianism And Free Market Ethics

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).

In terms of the deontological moral theory, deontological moral theory considers human actions as being morally good if the some part of the action is morally good regardless of whether the effect or end result of the action is good.

The Deontological ethics is marked by steadfastness to universal principles—for example, respect for life, fairness, telling the truth, keeping promises—no matter what the consequences (Halbert, Law & Ethics in the Business Environment. pg. 17).

Deontology is the study of the nature of duty and obligation. It comes from the Greek word “deon” that means duty. Deontology ethics is the views of moral that make decisions. It is the ethics that focuses whether actions are right or wrong themselves, but not the right or wrong of the consequences of those actions. An example of deontology is the action of killing someone, even if it was in self-defense, is wrong by moral standard.

Utilitarianism as an ethical theory is seen as 'an act that is morally correct if it results in the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people affected by the act'. (Crane, Matten, Chapt. 3). It is a principle that concentrates on the outcome of an act and compares the good outcome with the bad outcome and supports the outcome that brings the greatest amount of good for all stakeholders involved.

Deontology: is the act of doing the right thing no matter what the consequences are. For example, if an individual has a family member that killed someone then, it is his/her duty to go against the family member to say the truth. Even though it is bad to go against a family member, according to the deontological approach, it is doing the right thing. This individual is doing the right thing because he/she is not hiding anything, he/she is being truthful, and he/she is being honest.

Deontology is and approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves as opposed to the rightness or wrongness of the consequences of those actions. Deontological is best described as a rule based ethics.

Moreover, deontological ethics focuses on how actions follow certain moral rules. So, the action is judged rather than the consequences of the action. The biggest proponent of deontological ethics was Immanuel Kant who said that

A Utilitarian’s main goal is to help or do what is best for the majority. Utilitarian’s approve of actions or changes that will affect the most people in a positive way. In collective action problems, such as the issue of polluting a beach after spring break, only a few people have to organize and decide to clean up the beach after it has been polluted. Although only a few people choose to act on this problem, most people are extremely happy because they do not want to have a dirty beach. In this case, I would assume a Utilitarian would support this action because it is ultimately helping all the people who live near the beach and the businesses along the beach, even though it is “harming” a portion of people by making them do all of the work

(Page 45) and 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 consequences of the action (Page 171).

In contrast, deontology denotes an ethical perspective based on duty or obligation. Moral actions are assessed on the foundation of inherent rightness or wrongness rather than the primary consideration being of consequences (Nagel, 1986). From this perspective, Alyssa should take an action that disclosures and removes any questionable behaviors, no matter the consequences. If fundamental principles, for example life are violated, the action is always considered morally wrong, even if good outcomes ascended.

Ronald, thank you for your thoughtful and insightful post on Utilitarianism, as I concur with you that this ethical model can present issues that most Christian would not be able to support based on the scripture you sighted. When looking at this particular model research supports that non-religious individuals are more inclined to support utilitarianism especially in the workplace as “actions that are likely to maximize good effects, or minimize the occurrence of bad effects, are those kinds of actions one is permitted, or obligated, to perform” as opposed to a religious individual who rely on either deontological or absolutism ethics demonstrates the rightness of an action is determine by upholding or violating a universal code

Ethics are a set of acceptable principles that guide the way individuals should act in a given situation. Utilitarian Ethics is morally right acts that bring the most happiness to individuals. For instance, utilitarian ethics main focus is happiness and what decision will produce the maximum amount of happiness for everyone involved. Jeremy Bentham believed that individuals were governed by two masters, which are pleasure and pain. The utility test helps individuals select the best outcome that will result in the most happiness and minimize pain or discomfort.

When it comes to faith, there are many different interpretations. There are people in the world who believe that faith is going to church, or another place of worship), reading the bible or another holy word, and praying or worshipping. Other people believe in spirituality with no designated religious affiliation. There are also people who do not believe in spirituality or religion. No matter which of these is the case, what you believe or specifically do not believe affects how you react to different situations ethically. Your ethics are developed by your faith or lack thereof.

Deontological moral systems are usually primarily by a focus upon adherence to independent moral rules or duties. In order to make the correct decisions, we just have to know and understand what a moral way to think or act, and what is the right way to act and respect the rules that exist which regulate those duties. When we follow our way of living, then we are behaving morally. When we fail to follow our duty, we are behaving immorally.