Difference Between Utilitarianism And Deontological Ethics

706 Words2 Pages

Utilitarianism and Deontological Ethics. Utilitarianism is one of the best known and most influential moral theories. Like other forms of consequentialism, its core idea is that whether actions are morally right or wrong depends on their effects. More specially, the only effects of actions that are relevant are the good and bad results that they produce.
Utilitarian Position
• Act-Utilitarianism is a utilitarian theory of ethics which states that a person’s act is morally right if and only if it produces at last as much happiness as any other act that the person could perform at that time.
Pros and Cons: Act utilitarianism is often regarded as the most natural interpretations of the utilitarian ideal. If our aim is always to produce …show more content…

To make the correct moral choices, we have to understand what our moral duties are and what correct rules exist to regulate those duties. When we follow our duty, we are behaving morally. When we fail to follow our duty, we are behaving immorally. Typically, in any deontological system, our duties, rules, and obligations are determined by God. Being moral is thus a matter of obeying God. The most famous form of deontology comes from the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant poses the question of what the fundamental source of mortality is, or: What is it about people’s actions that make them susceptible to evaluation as right or wrong? He states that: actions of plants or inanimate objects, actions performed by animals out of instinct, and actions performed by humans involuntarily and not classified as right or wrong. Kant concludes that the source of morality is our ability to rationally make decisions, and our possession of free

Open Document