Consequentialism the results matter, not the actions themselves. An act is moral if and when it produces a good result. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act or omission from. Next, i will argue that this principle of moral reasoning cannot be explained by deontological moral theories or by traditional forms of consequentialism. Consequentialism is sometimes described as a teleological theory, because it conceives of a moral theory as setting a goal which we should strive to achieve see teleological ethics. Even though deontology and consequentialism can be extremely similar, both contain key factors that make each idea unique and very different. Consequentialism emphasizes the wellbeing of the group, external elements of the world.
Deontology theories vs consequentialism theories yanfoo. We are used to oppose consequentialism deontology to kantianism is the most typical representative. Consequentialism, in ethics, the doctrine that actions should be judged right or wrong on the basis of their consequences. Consequentialism an action is the right thing to do in certain circumstances if, of all the actions available in those circumstances, it would produce the best outcome. View deontology vs consequentialism research papers on academia. What is the difference between consequentialism and. A long tradition in decision making assumes that peoples decisions are aimed at maximizing some bene. During the past decade ethical theory has been in a lively state of development, and three basic approaches to ethics kantian ethics, consequentialism, and virtue ethics have assumed positions of particular prominence. However, consequentialism focuses on judging the moral worth of the results of the actions and deontological ethics focuses on judging the actions themselves. Consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics are moral theories that. Portmore in this paper, i make a presumptive case for moral rationalism.
Consequentialism looks at the end result of the action. Apr 29, 2007 which of these two main ethical systems do you favor. Christopher freiman, associate professor in philosophy at william and mary and writer at bleeding heart libertarians, identifies as both a libertarian and utilitarian since my first real introduction to libertarianism was harvard theorist robert nozick, i originally envisioned the philosophy as a rightsbased, and thereby in some sense deontological, political theory, with likeminded. Deontology consequentialism and deontology are clashing moral philosophies in the field of ethics. Start studying consequentialism and utilitarianism. For example, under utilitarianism the goal is to take whatever action maximizes happiness, regardless of the motivations or nature.
Difference between consequentialism and utilitarianism. Consequentialism is a broad category that encompasses the related theories of utilitarianism and welfarism. Kantianism has more universally accepted appeal than consequentialism. Consequentialist theory consequentialist theory is one of the normative ethics theories that try to answer the ethical questions about right or wrong and how we arrive at this answer. There are three major categories of ethical systems that students typically learn about in philosophy classes. Deontology and consequentialism, again notes on liberty. Note that explanations of framing effects as proposed by prospect theory are predominately based on the evaluation of the outcomes as gains versus losses and. Mar 31, 2014 the difference between deontology and consequentialism also relates to the set of concepts. I often see virtue based ethics in the same scenarios as consequentialism and deontology, however the latter two in my opinion have nothing to do with the former when looking at a situation. This essay analyses the significance of consequentialism in legislation and legal adjudication. It is also referred to as moral philosophy and analyzes the principles that decide the behavior of an individual or a group. Consequentialism focuses on the consequences or results of an action. Deontology vs consequentialism research papers academia.
Consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics are moral theories that evaluate morality on the basis of different factors. What are the differences between consequentialism, deontology. The best argument for ruleconsequentialism is that it does a better job than its rivals of matching and tying together our moral convictions, as well as offering us help with our moral disagreements and uncertainties. Whether an act is morally right or good depends on whether it is in conformity or conflict with certain virtues or character traits. Recent work on fairness in machine learning has primarily emphasized how to define, quantify, and encourage fair outcomes. According to the axiological element, agents options can always be ranked. There are many different theories in ethics with consequentialism and utilitarianism being an important one. Consequentialism the morality of an action is determined by the specific results of that action.
Consequentialism and deontology bibliography philpapers. This chapter first examines sidgwicks critique of deontology and defence of consequentialism, arguing that it is repeatedly unfair, holding the principles it criticizes to standards. Virtue ethics, kantian ethics and consequentialism introduction. Hybrid approaches to political and moral obligation are particularly appealing to moral realists because they enable policymakers to. Consequentialism and constraints consequentialist theories have two elements. The goal which consequentialism sets is to bring about a world containing the greatest balance of good over bad. Consequentialism, egoism, and the moral law bates college. The version most relevant to law, rule consequentialism, evaluates legal rules solely based on their consequences. What is the difference between consequentialism and deontological ethics.
The main purpose of the following experiment is to examine the in. Consequentialism may lead bad action to good consequences. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The morality of an action has always been a question to be examined by philosophy. In this way, the rule consequentialist can ensure that there will be rules pertaining to non. According to consequentialism, the morality of an act can not be measured only in terms of its consequences, while the same character is found on deontology, according to the principles which governed the decision to produce this act. Whether an act is morally right depends solely on consequences or the goodness of consequences. Why is virtue ethics often contrasted to deontology and. Laws and meaning changes in chinese philosophy pdf.
The difference between dual consequentialism and double consequentialism is the idea of a morally right action. Section 1 builds an initial case for the thesis that nonconsequentialist utilitarianism is not a contradiction in terms. Non consequentialism and universalizability by philip pettit if nonconsequentialists are to embrace the requirement of universalizability, then they will have to adopt a surprisingly relativistic stance. When evaluate one action is moral or not, the consequentialism and the deontology dont share the same standards. Sometimes, it may appear that both these theories simply arrive at the same conclusion by way of different paths. Why is virtue ethics often contrasted to deontology and consequentialism. Douglas portmores recent book, commonsense consequentialism. Differences between consequentialism and kantianism. Where nonconsequentialism holds that certain patterns are to be instantiated in the agents behaviour and relationships, even if this means that their overall realization is not thereby promoted, consequentialism reverses that order. Jul 25, 2011 this video takes a look at a recent discussion between a prominent atheist named thunderf00t and a popular christian named ray comfort on the topic of morality. Sidgwick, rashdall, mctaggart, and moore were consequentialists, holding that right acts always maximize the good. Our expert instructors explain consequentialist and nonconsequentialist philosophies in this collection of interesting.
Deontology the morality of an action is determined by duty. Furthermore, kants supreme principle of morality, the categorical imperative. This historically important and still popular theory embodies the basic intuition that what is best or right is whatever makes the world best in the. Consequentialism stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Deontology, consequentialism, and rationality to the factual part. One reason that is commonly put forward to justify this opposition is that they take different moral.
Consequentialism and virtue ethics bibliography philpapers. Consequentialism and deontological theories are two of the main theories in ethics. Concept of consequentialism as ethical theory is based upon nature of consequences be it utility, welfare, or pleasure. After a short discussion of legislative impact assessment, the. Apr 23, 2017 the purpose of this article is to explain different ethical theories and compare and contrast them in a way thats clear and easy for students to understand. Corresponding to each of these views about what makes one outcome better than another is a different version of consequentialism. The following are some criteria which suggest themselves for testing rationales.
Nonetheless, a careful reading of kant reveals that he did not adequately consider utilitarianism or other consequentialist normative theories. Consequentialism, frequently identified with utilitarianism, is the theory according to which right actions are those that maximize good outcomes. Kantianism is based upon moral imperatives which are absolute. Historical introduction to philosophyconsequentialism. Legal rules, on this view, may or must go into effect if and only if justified by their consequences. Consequentialism teaches that the act itself, the motivation for the act, and the relevant rules regarding the act have little to no bearing on whether the act is moral. Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of ones conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct. The simplest form of consequentialism is classical or hedonistic utilitarianism, which asserts that an action is right or wrong according to whether it maximizes the net. Deontological theories of morality are usually contrasted with consequentialism e. Morality, is an ambitious, painstaking effort to render the moral requirements of conse.
They clash because each offers a different approach to determining right from wrong. In these cases, and many others, kant exhibits his nonconsequentialist tendencies. Virtue ethics, kantian ethics and consequentialism introduction contemporary theories of virtue ethics are often presented as theories that are in opposition to kantian ethics and consequentialist ethics. Consequentialism holds that the consequences of ones actions are the basis for moral judgment. Consequentialism and deontology are the two dominant theories in contemporary normative ethics. Andrew forcehimes and luke semrau argue that agentrelative consequentialism is implausible because in some circumstances it classes an act as impermissible yet holds that the outcome of all agents performing that impermissible act is preferable. Whereas dual consequentialism discusses any action with the best reasonably expected consequences, double consequentialism talks about the morally right action that is estimated to be objectively right. The main representative of consequentialism is called utilitarianism, and deontology is derived from kant. Consequentialism routledge encyclopedia of philosophy. For the valuative part, rationalistic tests are the only ones possible. Prichard, carritt, ross, and broad defended the deontological view that rejects that claim. Deontology decision making to make a moral decision involves balancing the rights and obligations of all those individuals involved in the decision. Actconsequentialism is generally characterized as a certain sort of view about the relation between an acts rightness and its consequences.
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