Deontology

Question 1

What is strong non-consequentialism?

Answer 1

the idea that consequences are completely irrelevant to the rightness or wrongness of an act

Question 2

What is deontology’s relation to strong non-consequentialism?

Answer 2

deontology is a type of strong non-consequentialism

Question 3

Which philosopher is associated with deontology?

Answer 3

Emmanuel Kant

Question 4

For a deontologist, what defines good?

Answer 4

rationality, not happiness

Question 5

What is the categorical imperative?

Answer 5

I ought never to act except in such a way that I can also will that my maxim should become a universal law

= immoral acts are acts that would be impossible or unreasonable if everyone were to act similarly

Question 6

What does categorical mean?

Answer 6

absolute

Question 7

What does imperative mean?

Answer 7

command necessary to follow

Question 8

What does maxim mean?

Answer 8

moral rule

Question 9

What does universal law mean?

Answer 9

word for a moral rule applied to everyone

Question 10

Give an example of how to apply the categorical imperative.

Answer 10

Ex. You are late for work and driving through town. You come up to a stop light that is red. There is no one around. Do you proceed?

Whenever it is beneficial to me to run a red light, I will.

If universalized, this act would not be reasonable. Why? Because if everyone disobeyed traffic signals, the traffic signals would serve no purpose and therefore there wouldn’t be any traffic signals.

Question 11

Kant offered a different way of describing the categorical imperative - what was it?

Answer 11

to treat people as ends and not means only, respect their rationality

Question 12

If someone says, “but what if everyone where to act like that,” are they articulating the categorical imperative?

Answer 12

not really, they are asking us to imagine how people would behave instead of whether it is reasonable or possible for people to actually behave that way

Question 13

From a deontological perspective, are there conditions or exceptions to moral rules?

Answer 13

no - if something is right it is always right

Question 14

From a deontological perspective, is the act the only important thing?

Answer 14

no - there is a difference between acting according to duty and acting from duty, the intention matters

Question 15

What does it mean to treat someone as an end?

Answer 15

• it means to treat them as rational, as valuable, and not to treat them as tools or means to achieve your goals or purposes
• it means to treat them in a way that acknowledges their rationality, if you were to explain your behaviour they would deem it reasonable and give you consent

Question 16

How do we apply deontology?

Answer 16

• identify the maxim (the moral rule)
• universalize the maxim
• determine whether the universalized maxim could be a universal law (not whether it should, but whether it could)

Question 17

What are some objections to deontology?

Answer 17

• Kant doesn’t give us any guidance for what to do when different duties conflict
• what about kids and animals? they aren’t considered rational individuals
• what about consequences? (ex. Nazi case… for a strict deontologist lying is wrong, lying to the Nazi disrespects his rationality, but it will get everyone killed)