ipl-logo

Comparing Utilitarianism And Deontology

488 Words2 Pages

Victoria Mueller 03/16/2018 Philosophy 202-03
In this essay I will compare and contrast utilitarianism and deontology, describe why utilitarianism should be rejected as an ethical theory, and explain why I agree with deontology.
Kant's ethics or deontology is the normative ethical view that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules (quizlet.) According to the book "The Ethical Life", Utilitarianism ethics state that in order for something to be morally good it must produce the greatest possible amount of good for the greatest amount of people and have very few negative consequences for them as well. Utilitarianism relies on intrinsic value and not instrumental value, meaning that it has value in itself, and that you are better off in just having it in your life. …show more content…

They then choose the better option for the well-being of the most amount of people.
I disagree with this logic though because utilitarianism leaves out the individual person, just because it's 'for the greater good' doesn't mean it benefits everyone. This belief applies even if a certain act will harm an innocent person. For example, if you had to kill someone to save seven other lives a utilitarianist would tell you you're morally right in your actions.
By contrast, deontology does not focus on the consequences of one's actions. Deontology believes that certain actions are always wrong no matter what their consequences may be. Critics of deontology may point out that it does not allow for exceptional cases where actions avoid morally dubious actions that avoid causing harm to other

Show More
Related

Evaluating Sex Offender Registration And Notification Policies Through Ethical Theory

704 Words | 3 Pages

Considering the perspectives of utilitarianism, deontology,

Read More

Which Of The Following Is A Major Difference Between Kant's Deontology

541 Words | 3 Pages

(-- removed HTML --) Immanuel Kant's deontology and Jeremy Bentham's consequentialism are two of the most well-known moral theories in philosophy. They have conflicting views on ethics and offer different solutions to moral problems. Kant's deontology is centered around the idea that certain actions are inherently good or bad, while Bentham's consequentialism is focused on maximizing happiness or utility. This essay will compare and contrast Kant's deontology and Bentham's consequentialism. (-- removed HTML --) (-- removed HTML --)

Read More

Distributive Justice Theories In Health Care

795 Words | 4 Pages

The utilitarianism theory wants to provide the most benefits overall; this indicates that a course of action should be taken to please the largest number of people and dissatisfy the least number of people (Ledlow and Stephens, 2014, p. 255). Social and market justice should be balanced in utilitarian (Ledlow and Stephens, 2014, p. 255). An example of this theory in health care would be a millionaire who has thousands of vaccinations for a quickly spreading disease. Even though the millionaire owns the vaccinations, confiscating these vaccinations to give to individuals with the disease is justified. This distribution represents the utilitarian theory because it is providing the most benefit, even if the

Read More

Utilitarianism Vs Deontology Essay

873 Words | 4 Pages

In contrast to utilitarianism and other teleological approaches to moral reasoning, the deontological approach does not focus on the end result or the consequences of one’s actions. Instead, deontologists would argue that behaviors are morally just or unjust solely based on the behavior itself, separate from the chain reaction it initiates. Deontologists, as shown through the work of Kant, believe that morality and rationality are one in the same. There are three components that make up a moral action, according to Kant’s Categorical Imperative: first, the action must be universally moral, second, the action must treat other rational beings as ends themselves, rather than as means, and third, the action must be allowable for rational beings.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Deontology

1202 Words | 5 Pages

To begin with, this theory relies on moral absolutes which can be defined as actions that are entirely right or entirely wrong. Deontologists cannot consider the consequences of their actions, even if the consequences of a particular action bring about more harm than the act itself. Deontology theory says that certain types of actions are either absolutely right or wrong, but provides no way in which to distinguish which action may be right or wrong and thus duties and principles can conflict (Preston, 2007). For instance,

Read More

Kant's Deontology Vs Virtue Ethics

549 Words | 3 Pages

Deontology primarily considers the intentions and moral duty behind an action rather than the outcomes or consequences that may result from it. Deontology offers a clear and objective framework for ethical decision-making. It provides a set of universal moral principles, such as the categorical imperative, that can be applied to various situations. This clarity allows individuals to have a principled and consistent approach to morality, without being reliant on subjective judgments or individual interpretations of virtues.

Read More

Consequentialism Vs Deontological Analysis

280 Words | 2 Pages

Deontology argues that they are not the consequences of actions to define them but the reason for which the action was carried out in the first place. Consequentialism, on the other

Read More

What Does Utilitarianism Mean To An End

166 Words | 1 Pages

Using someone as a means to an end is one the ethical complications that both theories deal very differently with. Utilitarianism states that it's fine to use someone as a means to an end if it produces the greatest good in the end, but deontological view disagrees. It states that a human being cannot be used as an end to someone else's means. For example, one man has the cure to HIV but in order to develop the cure, he must be killed in the process in order for the cure to made. A Utilitarian would choose to end the life of this man to save the life of millions affected by HIV producing the greatest amount of good.

Read More

Deontology Vs Utilitarianism Essay

431 Words | 2 Pages

In this essay, I compared Utilitarianism and Deontology, and argued that Deontology is a better ethics system than Utilitarianism because, while Utilitarianism focuses solely on results, Deontology considers humans as more than just a means to an end and provides for a system of generally accepted

Read More

Ethics Vs Utilitarian Theory

1647 Words | 7 Pages

Ethics have a lot of theories to explain a lot of things, but these are 2 theories that try of why you do certain things. Utilitarianism and Deontology are these two theories that we will talk about. The essence of Utilitarianism is that we need to seek for happiness; we need to see what the optimific action is. Optimific is the best ratio, the greatest balance of benefits over the drawbacks (Fundamentals of Ethics). Then this theory has 5 steps that we have to follow in order to can determine the best action.

Read More

Utilitarianism In Nursing Ethics

1374 Words | 6 Pages

Utilitarianism focuses on the consequences of an action. Deontological approaches focus on the morality of an action on an individual basis. Utilitarian approaches attempt to achieve the greatest good for the greatest amount of

Read More

Difference Between Rule Utilitarianism And Deontological Ethics

962 Words | 4 Pages

Rule utilitarianism is more concerned with fairness and the law. The ultimate goal is to still satisfy and benefit the most people, but only through the most just and fairest means possible. A rule utilitarian seeks to benefit the most people but through the fairest and most just means available. The Deontiological ethical theory is that of duty, coming from the Greek word 'deon '.

Read More

Kant's Ethics Vs. Utilitarian Ethics

1023 Words | 5 Pages

While utilitarian ethics focuses on producing the greatest happiness for the greatest number, deontological ethics focuses on what makes us worthy of happiness. For Kant, as for the Stocis and other who emphasize duty, we are worthy of happiness only when we do our duty. As Kant explained, morality “is not properly the doctrine of how we are to make ourselves happy but of how we are to become worthy of happiness.” For Kant, morality is not a “doctrine of happiness” or set of instructions on how to become happy. Rather, morality is the “rational condition of happiness”

Read More

Strengths And Weaknesses Of Utilitarianism

1711 Words | 7 Pages

Commonly, ethical systems are categorized into two major systems. The deontological approaches or normative ethical position which judges an action based on the adherence of the action to certain rules and the teleological approaches which judges primarily based on the consequences of an action (Hare, 1964). The Utilitarianism is assigned to the teleological approaches, as it does not evaluate an action by itself but by it’s

Read More

Immanuel Kant's Theory Of Utilitarianism

1228 Words | 5 Pages

Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill are two of the most notable philosophers in normative ethics. This branch of ethics is based on moral standards that determine what is considered morally right and wrong. This paper will focus on Immanuel Kant’s theory of deontology and J.S. Mill’s theory of utilitarianism. While Mill takes a consequentialist approach, focused on the belief that actions are right if they are for the benefit of a majority, Kant is solely concerned with the nature of duty and obligation, regardless of the outcome. This paper will also reveal that Kantian ethics, in my opinion, is a better moral law to follow compared to the utilitarian position.

Read More

More about Comparing Utilitarianism And Deontology

Related Topics

Open Document