OPTION “A” Write a ‘distinction’ essay coping with the key distinction between utilitarian and deontological reasoning. Make reference to all related elements of the 2 positions together with the ‘act’ and ‘rule’ variations together with pertinent examples that make clear your reply. The main distinction between Emmanual Kant’s deontological reasoning and Mill’s utilitarian reasonsing is that deontological reasoning refers to responsibility, which is normally decided with out regard to circumstances or penalties the place as utilitarian reasoning at all times considers circumstances and penalties.
case might be made that basic deontological theories, like Kan’t categorical crucial, are simply utilitarian theories very nicely disguised. Utilitarianism: Utilitarianism is an moral system that’s most frequently attributed to philosophers corresponding to John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism believes that essentially the most moral factor to do is to maximise the happiness inside a society. Utilitarian’s consider that actions have calculable outcomes and that moral decisions have outcomes which result in essentially the most happiness to essentially the most members of a society.
Utilitarianism is usually thought of a consequentialist philosophical outlook as a result of it each believes that outcomes might be predicted and since it judges actions based mostly on their outcomes. Thus, utilitarianism is usually related to the phrase ‘the ends justify the means. ‘ Deontology: Deontology is another moral system that’s normally attributed to the philosophical custom of Immanuel Kant. Whereas utilitarianism focuses on the outcomes, or ends, of actions, deontology calls for that the actions, or means, themselves should be moral.
Deontologists argue that there are transcendent moral norms and truths which might be universally relevant to all individuals. Deontology holds that some actions are immoral no matter their outcomes; these actions are mistaken in and of themselves. Kant provides a categorical crucial to behave morally always. The explicit crucial calls for that people act in a means that their actions might be universalized right into a basic rule of nature. Kant believes that each one individuals come to ethical conclusions about proper and mistaken based mostly on rational thought.
Deontology is roughly related to the maxim ‘the means should justify the ends. ‘ The battle illustrated: A basic instance illustrates the battle between these two moral programs. Suppose an evil villain holds you and ten different individuals at gunpoint and tells you that she is going to kill all ten of your fellow prisoners except you kill one among them your self. You haven’t any doubts concerning the veracity of the villain’s threats; you consider absolutely that she is going to do as she says she is going to. Due to this fact, you have got two choices.
The primary choice is to kill one of many ten individuals to save lots of the lives of the opposite 9. The opposite choice is to do nothing and watch the villain kill all ten individuals. Utilitarians would most probably conclude that you need to kill the one particular person as a result of it has essentially the most useful final result. Deontologists would most probably conclude that you shouldn’t kill the one particular person as a result of killing one other particular person is mistaken as a common ethical fact. Utilitarianism’s solutions to deontology: Utilitarianism’s first reply to deontology is to say that there aren’t any ‘common ethical truths. Such truths are tough, if not not possible, to establish. Alternatively, the advantages and downsides of actions are way more simply calculated. Thus, reasonably than counting on amorphous, obscure ethical truths to information motion we should always look to extra concrete methods of figuring out the ethics of a selected act. Additionally, utilitarianism would argue that deontology results in morally untenable outcomes, corresponding to within the instance above. Utilitarians would argue that the result of ten deaths is way much less fascinating than one.
Thus, we should always at all times look to the ends reasonably than the means to find out whether or not an act is moral or not. Deontology’s solutions to utilitarianism: Deontology’s first reply to utilitarianism is to say that the ends are illusory. That’s, it’s not possible to foretell the outcomes of 1’s actions with absolute certainty. The one factor one might be certain of is whether or not his or her actions are moral or not based mostly on the specific crucial. Moreover, deontologists consider that we will solely be accountable for our personal actions and never the ctions of others. Thus, within the instance above you might be solely accountable for your determination whether or not to kill the prisoner or not; the villain is the one making the unethical option to kill the remainder of the prisoners. One is simply accountable for following the specific crucial. Lastly, deontologists argue that utilitarianism devolves into harmful ethical relativism the place human beings are allowed to justify heinous acts on the grounds that their outcomes are useful.
