Deontological Ethical Theory

DEONTOLOGICAL ETHICAL THEORY

CHAPTER 5

HISTORICAL ORIGIN

Early beginning of human civilization• The word of the king

is the law Deontological

Greek word “dein” or “deon” meaning“To be obligated” or simply “duty”

KANTS’ MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO DEONTOLOGICAL THEORY

IMMANUEL KANT

(1724-1804)

• Avid defender of deontological theory

• Contributed as many important and brilliant ideas to the philosophical study of ethics

THE GOOD WILLTHE CORE OF KANT’S ETHICS

• Morality of an action lies on the inner motive rather than the external effects

• Kants’ ethics primarily based on good will

• Duty must be done out of pure reverence to the moral law

DUTY OVER INCLINATION

“A person is only acting morallyonly when he suppresses

his feelings and inclinations and does that

which he is obliged to do”

INCLINATIONmeans doing the things

that one’s feels like doing, and thus no obligation exists.

EXPECTATION OF THE REWARD PITY DUTY

Immora l

EXAMPLE:Helping your neighbor to

fix her flat tire

Immora l Mora l

Three possible reasons of helping:

DUTY IS SUPERIOR TO HAPPINESS

“Our duties cannot consist simply infollowing rules that promote

pleasure and avoidance of painas the utilitarian’s claim,

since that would make right actions dependupon consequences,

on how well they satisfied our desires”

LYING

EXAMPLE:BREAKING PROMISES

THE CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE

THE UNIVERSALIZABILITY PRINCIPLE

“Act only according to that maxim by which you can

at the same time will thatit should become a universal law”

•Maxim is a personal and subjective guiding principle•We must universalize our moral judgement

THE PRINCIPLE OF HUMANITY

(RESPECT FOR PERSONS)

• Also known as ’Principle of Ends’• Concerns respect for the

dignity of persons• Rational beings are ends

in themselves• Do not treat others as

means

AUTONOMY OF THE WILL

(KINGDOM OF ENDS)

“For without personal autonomy,Morality

becomes an impossibility”

AUTONOMOUS WILL

The will becomes autonomous when the genuinely moral actions are chosen:

Freely Rationally By The Self

(Autonomously)

It is a moral universe of the moral beings in which:

Respect For Intrinsic Worth

Respect For Value Of All Persons

is exercised by everyone.

KINGDOM OF ENDS