Consequentialism In Training Day

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1. Consequentialism is a term used by the philosophers to simplify what is right and what is wrong. Consequentialist ethical theory suggests that right and wrong are the consequences of our actions. It is only the consequences that determine whether our actions are right or wrong. Standard consequentialism is a form of consequentialism that is discussed the most. It states that “the morally right action for an agent to perform is the one that has the best consequences or that results in the most good.” It means that an action is morally correct if it has little to no negative consequences, or the one that has the most positive results. In the movie Training day, Jake finds himself faced with the toughest decision of all: should he do what he believes to be just, or should he risk his life trying to take down a veteran cop and his network of villainous colleagues? An example where he had to face a moral decision was when he was forced to smoke the drugs putting a gun to his head and threatening him, stating that his failure to comply would get him killed by a drug dealer on the streets. He either had to take the drugs or discontinue training because he wouldn’t …show more content…

Deontology diverges from consequentialism because deontology concentrates on the rightness or wrongness of the actions themselves instead of the consequences. There are different types of deontological theories. According to Kant, theoretical reasoning helps us discover what we should believe whereas the practical reasoning tells us what we should do. Morality falls under theoretical reasoning. In Kantian deontology, motives matter. Rather than consequences, it is the motive of an action makes that action morally right or wrong. Likewise, if an action intends to hurt someone, but eventually it benefits the other person, then it does not make that action morally right. All in all, deontology comes down to common-sense: whether it is a good action or a bad

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