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Immanuel Kant's Categorical Imperative Theory

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Nonconsequentialism came from the work of Immanuel Kant, who is known to be the founder of critical philosophy. Markham (2007) described Kant as ‘the giant in philosophy’. Through his research and work, Immanuel Kant labelled himself a deontologist. According to Markham (2007), a deontologist is ‘a person who recognises that there are absolute moral prohibitions that must be applied consistently to all situations’. Different from consequentialism, people who tend to have the mind set of a deontologist believe that you should do your ethical duty, regardless of the outcome. Immanuel Kant designed ‘The Categorical Imperative’ theory which was associated with the fact that it was commanding us to practice our morals and desires in a specific way which was exercised through two rules. Kamm (2000) claims that these components were to ‘(1) treat persons as ends in themselves and (2) do not treat them as mere means’. Kamm is basically suggesting that we seek happiness of others, as that is morally right, however fulfill capacities of one’s own intellect. From following both of these we arrive at an imperative and it is categorical. Kant also discussed the importance of perfect and imperfect duties in relation to good morality between humans. He suggested that although we have ‘moral leeway’ in how or when we perform imperfect duties, we must ensure that we always succeed in carrying out perfect duties: ‘they must be done’ as negative duties are ‘more stringent’ than positive duties (Kamm, …show more content…

When discussing whether consequentialism and deontology are tenable, I have reason to believe that they can both be justified and implemented in certain situations in order to achieve the best outcome: whether this be happiness, utility, or moral judgment. For a consequentialist, ‘happiness is conceived of as the ultimate good’ (Hospers, 1997) however the language of morality is perceived as deontological. Regardless of the situation there is always an ethical axiom which is ‘killing innocent people is wrong’ (Markham, 2007). With both of these views exercised every day, we are faced with many possibilities, leading to problems and opportunities. Nevertheless, if we didn’t have both views, the world would be a very different place as we know it to be now and people would not be faced with the same opportunities. Therefore, through analysing how the views of consequentialists differ from that of deontologists, I personally believe that both views are crucial to humankind and perfectly

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They would see that it be their duty and obligation as a judge to provide Ryan Duke with his fair trial that is promised by the Bill of Rights. A deontologist acts solely on the moral obligations that comes with their position. In this case, the deontologist would take the role of the judge which includes the obligations of one. A theorist who focuses on the principle of utility would be considered a consequentialist. The principle of utility intends “to produce the greatest happiness for everyone affected” (Banks, 2017, p. 352).

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When a person is going to make a moral decision based on consequentialism, he or she first look at the good and bad possible consequences of the action, then determine whether the total good consequences outweigh the total bad.

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Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative and John Stuart Mill’s view of utilitarianism are two very different approaches to ethics and morals. In fact, they are the opposite of one another. Kant’s view of ethics is an ethics of pure reason- a deontological theory of ethics. He stresses that feelings and emotions should have no part in ethics because they are unreliable, changeable, and uncertain. He states that ethical principles must be universal and that ethics are distinctively human.

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You can say, that the right thing to do or wrong thing to do is the most important part. It’s based on rules, and we follow those rules. Stealing a loaf of bread is bad, even if you are doing it for your family, you are breaking the law, there are other ways to make money and receive goods. Deontology mainly always focuses on the morality of the person, and the actions that are taken forth, rather than the consequences that will be taken after, even if they are better than the action that is

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Deontology which is derived from the Greek words Deon (meaning obligation/duty) and logia (science/study) combined to be also known as duty or rule-based ethics or the study of duties or obligations. It is a branch of ethical theories that deals with ethics of conduct, which theories are based on the sort of actions people must perform. It is based on non-consequentialism where the ends do not justify the means and thus deontology is an approach to ethics in which a sense of duty or principle prescribes the ethical decision (Preston, 2007). Deontology affirms duties must be obeyed regardless of the consequences. The theory of Deontology has its flaws as well and this essay will present three criticisms of deontology namely that deontology relies on moral absolutes, allows acts that make the world a worse place, two permissible duties that are right can conflict with each other and will demonstrate these flaws with relevant case studies and dilemmas.

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However, even though these are two opposing philosophies, with very different ideas governing their conclusions, we should look to learn from both and apply the knowledge we identify with, thus creating our own philosophies. In this essay I wish to do exactly that; to compare and contrast these two ideologies in order to better understand them and help others do the same. First we must understand what is Deontology. The word deontology when broken down to its roots literally means, the study of the nature of duty and obligation.

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We can’t see it, but is one of the most accepted things out there. There’s little to no fights from any side that argues against gravity existing like other scientific matters. We know that gravity keeps us rooted on the ground, but there are many more things that it’s involved; it is the force that attracts everything together and maybe that’s why everyone agrees on something for once. During ancient Greek times, philosophers thought that gravity had no relation to the objects in space but they were incorrect.

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Hence, a police officer’s duty then is to do the right act as approved by moral standards. Therefore, deontological ethics are duty based. Non-consequentialist ethics are divided into two standpoints; act non-consequentialism and rule non-consequentialism. Act non-consequentialism or intuitionism is described as the act of following one’s intuition in order to determine the morality in a particular situation. However, rule non-consequentialism explains that people should follow the rules that are the basis of morality where the consequences are given less importance.

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I hope to convince the reader that Kant’s Categorical Imperative is the better way to live a morally conscious life and more practical to follow as well. First I will briefly describe both Kant’s and Mill’s principles. Then I will go on to explain the advantages and disadvantages of both. Finally, I hope to provide a counterargument for some of Kant’s Categorical Imperatives downfalls. Kant states the Categorical Imperative as: "Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will and general natural law."

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Utilitarianism’s consequence-driven ideology allows it to be manipulated to condone evidently immoral acts as appropriate if it benefits a majority group, as in the case of slavery (Anderson, 2004). Deontology, however, portrays all humans as equals and, thus, disregards immoral actions as a means to satisfy a majority. For example, the killing of a single man to aid several transplants would be justified by utility but is abolished by Deontology due to its irrational premises. Conclusion

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Consequentialism is a normative theory of ethics that offers a systematic approach to reaching ethical and moral conclusions. It follows the thought that actions can be judged entirely on the result of the act in question. Thus, a ‘morally right’ action would be concluded based on the achievement of the best possible outcome. Consequentialism also goes by the name of teleology, from the Greek teleos meaning end or purpose.

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Deontology and Utilitarianism are similar in that the tenets of each aims at promoting the well-being of others by doing good. However, there are several differences between Deontology and Utilitarianism. Deontology focuses on the moral intention of an act.

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The theory of deontology states we are morally obligated to act in accordance with obvious set of principles and rules regardless of results. Deontological ethics focuses on duties, and rights. The term deontological was coined by the utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham, who described it as “knowledge of what is right or proper” Bentham thought that deontology points in the direction of principle of utility. But contemporary philosophers use the term deontological to indicate a contrast with the utilitarian focus on the consequences of action. Instead of focusing on consequences, deontological ethics focus on duties and obligation: things we ought to do regardless of the consequences.

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Abortion can be categorized as both a legal, and ethical issue. Being such a controversial topic some might argue that abortion should be considered murder, while others simply see it as a way to get rid of a problem. Religion plays a large part in the ethical issue of abortion, just like with any other ethical problem, religion plays a large part of the decisions we make in everyday life. Keeping this in mind we can say religion, and a person’s ethical view of life plays a large part in the decision of having an abortion. In this paper I will discuss the ethical views on abortion, Marquis’s argument, and look at the different ethical views from different points of views on the topic.

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Consequential Ethical theory It is a part of normative ethical theories and it means that the consequence of ones behavior is an ultimate mean for anyone to judge the rightness or wrongness of that behavior. So, from the perspective of a consequentialist an ethically right act is the one that will inherit good outcome or consequence. It usually explains the saying “the end justifies the means” which means that in order to achieve a goal, take any route which leads to achieving it.

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