deontological ethics
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Is saving someone from drowning a morally praiseworthy act? . Do motives play any role in whether an act is morally praiseworthy?. Deontological Ethics. Deontological Ethics. Ethical theory that judges the moral rightness of an act in terms of the intrinsic moral value of the act itself. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Deontological EthicsIs saving someone from drowning a morally praiseworthy act?
Do motives play any role in whether an act is morally praiseworthy?
Deontological Ethics Ethical theory that judges
the moral rightness of an act in terms of the intrinsic moral value of the act itself
Deontological Ethics Immanuel Kant is the most notable proponent of deontological
ethics “Nothing can be called good without
qualification except the good will”
Intentions matter
Kantian Ethics-- Moral worth of an act is not dependant upon
its consequences
-- An act has moral worth if it is done for the sake of the moral law
Kantian Ethics Hypothetical Imperative – A
rule that tells us what means to use to achieve a desires end
Kantian Ethics Categorical Imperative - A
rule that tells us without qualifications what we should do
What is the moral law?
The Categorical Imperative
Kantian EthicsThe Categorical Imperative (Kant’s Unconditional Moral Law)
Two Versions
First Version
“Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become universal law.”
Kantian EthicsFirst Version
* State the maxim (rule) on the basis of which you are planning to act
* Formulate the maxim in terms of a universal law
* See if you can rationally will that everyone follow this universal maxim
Kantian EthicsSecond Version
“Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only”
Kantian Ethics
Kantian EthicsSecond Version
This rule states that we must treat people (including ourselves) as ends in themselves, rather than as things with instrumental value to be used for someone else’s purpose.”
Kantian EthicsWhat if duties conflict?
Natural Law Theory Right actions are
those that accord with the moral principles that we can discover in the very structure of nature itself.
Divine Command Theory A theory asserting
that the morally right action is the one that God commands
Natural Law Theory St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) 1. Preservation of life
2. The propagation and education of off spring
3. The pursuit of truth and a peaceful society
Natural Laws Conflicts can be
resolved by applying the doctrine of double effect.
Doctrine of Double Effect: Principle that performing a good action may be permissible even if it has bad effects, but performing a bad action for the purpose of achieving good effects is never permissible.
The Doctrine of Double Effect More formally, an
action is permissible if four requirements are met:
1. The action is inherently either morally good or morally neutral.
2. The bad effect is not used to produce the good effect.
3. The intention must always be to bring about the good effect.
4. The good effect must be at least as important as the bad effect.