ETHICS
Deontological Theory
Historically ethics was studied from a philosophical aspect and viewed as the science of morals. Ethics had been defined as the principles of moral conduct that govern our behavior. Our ethical behavior is developed from various factors, to include our environment, family and beliefs. The origins of ethics can be traced back to the fifth century, BC ( Banner, 1968, pg.67). Plato, Socrates and Aristotle are among the early teachers of ethics.
These teachers along with many other philosophers developed and taught numerous ethical theories based on their beliefs. Ethical theories that have evolved through the years include, but are not limited to:
§ The Greek ethics of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle focused on moral virtues.
§ The Christian ethics of St. Augustine focused on divine revelation.
§ The consequential ethical theory of Bentham theorized that the consequences of one’s behavior are crucial when making moral decisions.
§ The non-consequential ethics of Kant which viewed an individual’s duty and moral obligation as paramount when faced with an ethical challenge.
Contemporary philosophers define ethics as a philosophical examination of the principles of right versus wrong, and view morality as the practice of these principles (Souryal, 1998, pg.17). The study of modern ethics and human behavior is a continuum of the examination of many of the same theories studied by earlier philosophers.
One such theory is the deontological theory. This ethical theory is based an individual’s actions and not the consequences of the actions. Deontological is derived from the word deontos, the Greek word meaning duty or obligation.
There are two sub-categories of the deontological theory. The “monistic” sub-category bases morality solely on one virtue. Examples of the monistic category of ethical theories are hedonism and Kant’s duty theory. In the theory of hedonism, pleasure is the only good, and in Kant’s theory on ethics, one’s duty or moral obligation is the sole virtue or value of goodness. The “multiple” sub-category of ethical theories has a minimum of two values of goodness, such as a woman marrying an intelligent and handsome man. The multiple values of goodness ...
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...he human relations aspect of our jobs.
Finally, as rational and intelligent individuals we must focus on the beneficial aspects of all-ethical theories and attempt to minimize the non-beneficial components of each theory. We must analyze the ethical dilemma and demonstrate the courage and moral virtue to apply the correct ethical theory that would result in the morally correct resolution to any given ethical dilemma.
It is imperative that as rational and thinking human beings we consider the ramification of our actions and conclusively make the morally correct decision when faced with an ethical dilemma in law enforcement.
References
Albert, Ethel, M., Denis, Theodore C. Denise & Peterfreund, Sheldon P. (1988). Great
Traditions in Ethics. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, Inc.
Banner William A. (1968). Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy. New York:
Charles Scribner’s Sons.
Shapiro, David A. (1999). Choosing the Right to Do. San Francisco, California: Berrett-
Koehler Publishers.
Souryal, Sam S. (1998). Ethics in Criminal Justice: In Search of the Truth. Cincinnati,
Ohio: Anderson Publishing Co.
In other words, Kant’s deontological ethics acknowledges that actions and their outcomes are independent things (Shakil). The primary focus of deontologists is that the moral intentions or the moral duties are more important than the consequences. As humans have an ability to make rational decisions, deontologists argue that people have to perform duties that are morally correct and must not be influenced to perform them based on what we gain from its consequences. Kant, further theorizes, that the moral worth of an action is determined by the human will and that people have to perform moral duties that encourage good will. Although there are several well-known deontologists, Kant is generally considered as the father of deontology as he further developed this ideology with his concept of categorical
Ethical theories may be usefully divided into two main types, deontological or eudaimonist, on the basis of whether they take one or the other of these kinds of judgments as primary. (1) In the main, ancient ethical theories were eudaimonist in both form and content (in the kinds of judgments and terms they took as primary, and in the questions they spent the most time investigating). Most modern ethical theories have been deontological, again in both form and content. (2) Aristotle’s central question is: What is the good life for a human being? Kant and Mill’s central question is: What are our duties to our fellow human beings? My second main contention, which I cannot fully argue for here, is that neither type of theory trumps the other, nor should we attempt to subsume both types under some higher ethical synthesis.
Ethics refers to a system of moral standards that guide the decision for human conduct of what is right and wrong based on everyday life situations, usually in terms rights, obligations, benefits, fairness, or virtue. Ethics is used as a formal guideline for conducting business in order to minimize pain to the greater number of people as a whole. The principles of ethics come from the knowledge and understanding of the word of God, the Bible. It tells us how we ought to think and behave toward one another considering first, how we want to be treated. For instance, we have the right to freedom of speech as long as we don’t insult the integrity of others. In addition, God gives us examples for how make right decisions and warns of those to avoid. Knowing this, that if we have love in our hearts first, for our heavenly father then we’ll have compassion for our fellow mankind to behave ethically.
The underpinning principle of deontological ethical theory is the categorical imperative that refers to an inherent absolute and unconditional command that tells people what they ought to do in a particular situation or should do in their present situations, (Braswell, McCarthy & McCarthy, 2011). The deontological ethical theory is against the treating of individuals as means to an end and supports the need to treat individuals as ends in themselves, (Braswell, McCarthy & McCarthy, 2011).
Immanuel Kant is a philosopher of the early centuries, one of his well-known works is his moral theory which can be referred to as Deontology. The moral theory arises from the principle behind Deontology which is derived from -deon which signifies rule or law and -ology which means the study of. Kant designed his moral theory to be contradictory to utilitarianism which is a moral theory that focuses on the outcomes of an action. Beside other factors the moral theory is a non-consequentialist moral theory which in basic terms means the theory follows a law based system of making judgements and disregards the consequences. Kant once said “Actions are only morally good if they are done because of a good will” however, for Kant a good will is complex
Kant’s deontological moral theory is a non-consequentialist theory that is well-known for his view of human beings as having the unique capacity for rationality. Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher that studied and wrote on philosophy, science, geography, beauty, war, and peace. He believed that every theory of ethics must recognize our autonomy, which is freedom to lead a self-directed life. Kant claimed that humans were inherently valuable for who they are and not for what value they can be for others. Deontological which means theory of duty was influenced by the Ancient Stoics, who stated that rather than stress over things we can’t control the key to morality and happiness is internal and a matter of our will and true intentions and we shouldn’t be accountable for things beyond our control. It is not a theory that focuses on the consequences of an action, but only did you do your moral duty as a person. For example, if you noticed a kid drowning and you decided to help this kid even though you know you can’t swim and the kid ended up drowning anyways and passing away, though the consequences of this situation is unpleasant because of the passing away of the kid, trying to save this
Ethics can be defined as "the conscious reflection on our moral beliefs with the aim of improving, extending or refining those beliefs in some way." (Dodds, Lecture 2) Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism are two theories that attempt to answer the ethical nature of human beings. This paper will attempt to explain how and why Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism differ as well as discuss why I believe Kant's theory provides a more plausible account of ethics.
Ethics is defined by as the “branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions
Deontological moral theory is a Non-Consequentialist moral theory. While consequentialists believe the ends always justify the means, deontologists assert that the rightness of an action is not simply dependent on maximizing the good, if that action goes against what is considered moral. It is the inherent nature of the act alone that determines its ethical standing. For example, imagine a situation where there are four critical condition patients in a hospital who each need a different organ in order to survive. Then, a healthy man comes to the doctor’s office for a routine check-up. According to consequentialism, not deontology, the doctor should and must sacrifice that one man in order to save for others. Thus, maximizing the good. However, deontological thought contests this way of thinking by contending that it is immoral to kill the innocent despite the fact one would be maximizing the good. Deontologists create concrete distinctions between what is moral right and wrong and use their morals as a guide when making choices. Deontologists generate restrictions against maximizing the good when it interferes with moral standards. Also, since deontologists place a high value on the individual, in some instances it is permissible not to maximize the good when it is detrimental to yourself. For example, one does not need to impoverish oneself to the point of worthlessness simply to satisfy one’s moral obligations. Deontology can be looked at as a generally flexible moral theory that allows for self-interpretation but like all others theories studied thus far, there are arguments one can make against its reasoning.
Ethics is the study of human values, actions and life decisions, also known as morality. By using moral principles, claims which guide individuals by telling them what they ought and ought not to do, ethics attempts to determine if something is good or bad. However at times different moral principles conflict with another, making it difficult to see what the best course of action is. A good moral theory solves that dilemma by attempts to explain why a person or action is right or wrong, or why a person’s character is good or bad by stating which moral principles are more important than others. Two infamous moral theories are Utilitarianism and Kantianism.
Deontology is derived from the Greek word meaning duty. An action is considered morally right when it is a part of a person’s duties or requirements. As long as a person is following the duties, they are considered to be performing morally. Typically, this list of duties or rules are created by God in a deontological system. By acting with morals a person is obeying God’s list of duties. Christopher Bennet writes that, “Deontology, such as Kant’s ethics, there are certain types of act, such as rape, murder, theft and assault that are always wrong” (Bennet, 2010, p. 33). For example, if it is morally wrong to kill, killing is then always wrong, even if that means allowing a person to suffer. Kant believes that a person will come to know what is right and wrong by rational thought. Deontology is the most common moral theory that is widely practiced in the world, especially within healthcare. The negative side of a deontological system is that it doesn’t allow resolution between two contradictory moral duties. Looking at the example above, it is morally wrong to kill, but it is also a moral duty to not allow someone to suffer.
Deontology, on the other hand, emphasizes on the moral intuitions that guide one’s conscience for or against certain actions (Curcă, 2013). Deontologists are the opposites of utilitarians because the essential judgment of taking or not taking a course of action is observed in its strictest sense. Apart from feelings and conditions, deontologists also consider the consequences of not following religious rules and natural laws of morality to guide every course of action. Thus, deontologists value three major principles of decision-making: intrinsic morality, the duty of care, and the moral consequences of an action.
German philosopher Immanuel Kant popularized the philosophy of deontology, which is described as actions that are based on obligation rather than personal gain or happiness (Rich & Butts, 2014). While developing his theory, Kant deemed two qualities that are essential for an action to be deemed an ethical. First, he believed it was never acceptable to sacrifice freedom of others to achieve a desired goal. In other words, he believed in equal respect for all humans. Each human has a right for freedom and justice, and if an action takes away the freedom of another, it is no longer ethical or morally correct. Secondly, he held that good will is most important, and that what is good is not determined by the outcome of the situation but by the action made (Johnson, 2008). In short, he simply meant that the consequences of a situation do not matter, only the intention of an action. Kant also declared that for an act to be considered morally correct, the act must be driven by duty alone. By extension, there could be no other motivation such as lo...
[1] Ethics is defined as “the code of moral principles and values that governs the behaviour of a person or a group with respect to what is right or wrong” (Samson and Daft, 2005, p.158)
As a branch of philosophy, ethics investigates the questions “What is the best way for people to live?” and “What actions are right or wrong in particular circumstances?” In practice, ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality, by defining concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. As a field of intellectual enquiry, moral philosophy