What Does Ethics Mean?

Overall, deontology is based upon not just by following universal rules or performing what is ought to do, but by respecting human beings as rational beings as well. Deontology judges the ethical motive of an action not by its consequences, merely by the reasoning behind it.

“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 the consequences of the action” (Boylan, 2009, p. 171). In many aspects deontology is contrasted with utilitarianism. Deontology is based upon principle and does not calculate the consequences (Boylan, 2009, p. 171). Deontology attracts those seeking a stronger moral attraction because it refers to commanding rather than commending and commanding is a stronger structure (Boylan, 2009, p. 172). The

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.

Deontology or also know as Deontology ethics is an approach that is taken that determines the goodness and rightness of a specific act or rules and duties that a specific person has to perform. Deontology is the complete opposite of consequentialism. Consequentialism is the where the outcome of an act has a major influence and not the actual act itself. In better words it is what comes after the action that is made and not the action itself. As for deontology an action can be considered right or something acceptable even if the outcome of the action is something bad. A perfect example for deontology would be “ do onto others what you would have them do onto you.” This is just something that

According to Merriam-Webster, ethics is defined as an area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behavior. Some would argue that definition is rather vague. A more complete understanding of ethics would suggest that it is more than just an area of study but rather a way of life; moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. If one is ethical and has good moral standards, it is usually seen in that person. Simply put, ethics could be considered the standards of behavior as to which society accepts.

Deontology is an ethical position that examines the morality of an action based on the action’s adherence to rule or rules. Many times is described as obligation or rule based ethics (Alexander). Therefore, the only actions that are considered moral are those that are performed solely for one’s duty to the moral law rather than one’s desire. Deontology is the school of thought that Kant comes from. Immanuel Kant was a critical figure in philosophy in the modern age. His work was the foundation of the most famous form of Deontology.

As a result of continued human suffering and questions of morality, many ethical theories have been developed over time to guide humans on how to coexist, differentiate between right and wrong, and live a “good” life. Many times, these different ethical theories seem to contradict one another, but all are conceived with the intention to guide morally just lives. Deontology is the most applicable theory of ethics because Deontology possesses a universal categorical imperative encompassing the ideas of having a “good will” and making decisions based on duty. The idea of having a universal categorical imperative prompts decision making that is increasingly based on duty, impartiality, justice, and considering how a particular decision will

In a general sense, Deontological theories determine morality of an action by asking about the action itself.

Deontology is the first of the three schools of thought. It stands for the judgment of the “morality of choices by criteria different from the states of affairs those choices bring about.” (Alexander 2007) Larry Alexander writes in Deontological Ethics that deontologists support that “some choices cannot be justified by their effects, that

Many people believe that other theories, such as Deontology, is a better theory than Utilitarianism because believes that rightness and wrongness of an action doesn’t rely on consequences but on motivation, or whether they accomplish our individual duties. Deontology is a motive based theory. There are three main elements to deontology. 1. Every individual is a rational decision maker. So, how we arrive at a moral decision is entirely rational. 2. The process

The first of the Deontology theories is the agent-centered theory. Agent-centered is about a person’s rights and duties. People are responsible for making sure that their actions are morally right and do not interfere with obligations. With agent-centered, we are supposed to perform actions even if we know that the outcome would be better if we decided to ignore our obligations and principles. Agent-centered theories define obligation as “an obligation for a particular agent to take or refrain from taking some action” (Alexander, Larry and Moore, Michael).

Thus a deontologist is capable of more morally commendable acts than morality demands. Finally, deontology can articulate why particular individuals have moral standing to criticize as well as hold accountable violators of moral duties. The major weakness of the theory is that Deontologists require a unique, non-consequentialist form of rationality which is a practical substitute to the

Proponents of deontological ethics do not consider consequences as important when determining whether an individual is moral or immoral. Morality is based solely on the person’s action. Several ethical theories are deontological theories.

According to Guido, ethics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the evaluation of human action. A broader definition would be that ethics involves the principles or assumptions underpinning the way individuals or groups ought to conduct themselves.

Deontological ethics is the view that “the elucidation of a morality that is necessary, obligatory, and unconditional, irrespective of conditions or consequences” (Livingston 261). In his Letter From a Birmingham Jail, the late