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EthicsTheories:UtilitarianismVs.DeontologicalEthicsChristianResearchInstitute
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EthicsTheoriesUtilitarianismVs.DeontologicalEthics
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Therearetwomajorethicstheoriesthatattempttospecifyandjustifymoralrulesandprinciples:
utilitarianismanddeontologicalethics.Utilitarianism(alsocalledconsequentialism)isamoraltheory
developedandrefinedinthemodernworldinthewritingsofJeremyBentham(17481832)andJohn
StuartMill(18061873).
Thereareseveralvarietiesofutilitarianism.Butbasically,autilitarianapproachtomoralityimpliesthat
nomoralact(e.g.,anactofstealing)orrule(e.g.,Keepyourpromises)isintrinsicallyrightorwrong.
Rather,therightnessorwrongnessofanactorruleissolelyamatteroftheoverallnonmoralgood
(e.g.,pleasure,happiness,health,knowledge,orsatisfactionofindividualdesire)producedinthe
consequencesofdoingthatactorfollowingthatrule.Insum,accordingtoutilitarianism,moralityisa
matterofthenonmoralgoodproducedthatresultsfrommoralactionsandrules,andmoraldutyis
instrumental,notintrinsic.Moralityisameanstosomeotherenditisinnowayanendinitself.
Spacedoesnotallowforadetailedcritiqueofutilitarianismhere.Sufficeittosaythatthemajorityof
moralphilosophersandtheologianshavefounditdefective.Onemainproblemisthatutilitarianism,if
adopted,justifiesasmorallyappropriatethingsthatareclearlyimmoral.Forexample,utilitarianismcan
beusedtojustifypunishinganinnocentmanorenslavingasmallgroupofpeopleifsuchactsproduce
amaximizationofconsequences.Buttheseactsareclearlyimmoralregardlessofhowfruitfulthey
mightbeforthegreatestnumber.
Forthisandotherreasons,manythinkershaveadvocatedasecondtypeofmoraltheory,
deontologicalethics.DeontologicalethicsisinkeepingwithScripture,naturalmorallaw,andintuitions
fromcommonsense.TheworddeontologicalcomesfromtheGreekworddeonwhichmeans
bindingduty.
Deontologicalethicshasatleastthreeimportantfeatures.First,dutyshouldbedonefordutyssake.
Therightnessorwrongnessofanactorruleis,atleastinpart,amatteroftheintrinsicmoralfeatures
ofthatkindofactorrule.Forexample,actsoflying,promisebreaking,ormurderareintrinsically
wrongandwehaveadutynottodothesethings.
Thisdoesnotmeanthatconsequencesofactsarenotrelevantforassessingthoseacts.Forexample,
adoctormayhaveadutytobenefitapatient,andheorshemayneedtoknowwhatmedical
consequenceswouldresultfromvarioustreatmentsinordertodeterminewhatwouldandwouldnot
benefitthepatient.Butconsequencesarenotwhatmaketheactright,asisthecasewithutilitarianism.
Rather,atbest,consequenceshelpusdeterminewhichactionismoreinkeepingwithwhatisalready
ourduty.Consequenceshelpusfindwhatisourduty,theyarenotwhatmakesomethingourduty.
Second,humansshouldbetreatedasobjectsofintrinsicmoralvaluethatis,asendsinthemselves
andneverasameremeanstosomeotherend(say,overallhappinessorwelfare).Aswewillseein
PartTwo,thisnotionisverydifficulttojustifyifoneabandonsthetheologicaldoctrineofmanbeing
madeintheimageofGod.Nevertheless,justifiedorunjustified,deontologicalethicsimplythathumans
http://www.equip.org/article/ethicstheoriesutilitarianismvsdeontologicalethics/
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EthicsTheories:UtilitarianismVs.DeontologicalEthicsChristianResearchInstitute
areendsinthemselveswithintrinsicvalue.
Third,amoralprincipleisacategoricalimperativethatisuniversalizablethatis,itmustbeapplicable
foreveryonewhoisinthesamemoralsituation.Moralstatementsdonotsay,Ifyouwanttomaximize
pleasurevs.paininthisinstance,thendosuchandsuch.Rather,moralstatementsareimperativesor
commandsthatholdforallexamplesofthetypeofactinconsideration,suchastruthtelling.Moral
statementssay,keepyourpromises,donotmurder,andsoforth.
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