Consequentialism Vs Categorial Imperative Essay

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In normative ethics the two dominant theories are Deontology and Consequentialism. Deontology is an ethical theory focusing on the rightness or wrongness of a specific action itself, without considering any consequences that can occur. Kantian Deontology, the most famous form of the Deontological theory, was established by a man named Immanuel Kant. Consequentialism is an ethical theory focusing on the consequences of a specific action to determine its rightness or wrongness. Utilitarianism is the most famous form of Consequentialism. These two ethical theories differ in many ways. When a Deontologist is determining the right thing to do in a situation they use The Categorial Imperative test. Think of an imperative as a command, such as …show more content…

If you don’t care about being sent to jail, then you could easily ignore this imperative and carry out your planned action. Hypothetical Imperatives change for every situation to match the desired outcome. In contrast, Categorial Imperatives are commands that must be followed regardless of someones desired outcome. For example, “Don’t steal.” Now It doesn't matter if you care about going to jail or not because one should never steal in any situation. Kant claimed that Hypothetical Imperatives are morally irrelevant and aren't able to determine the morality of an act. Since Categorial Imperatives are absolute and are out of goodwill, The test of right or wrong is based on them. To use the first formulation of The Categorial Imperative, follow these steps. First, Find the maxim for your action. A maxim is defined as the rule(s) behind ones action. Maxim’s are usually expressed in the form “I will (do this action) in (this situation)”. Let’s apply this to a real circumstance. Suppose you want new clothes but you don’t have extra money this month to spend. Your maxim would be, “I will steal clothes from the store when i’m running low on money” Secondly, The selected maxim must be universalized. Imagine everyone in the same situation doing

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