What is Deontology?
Deontology is a theory is based in the past. The main question in ethics is what should I do and why while Deontology is what have I done and why. Deontology focuses completely on the actions that you do. There are two different imperatives in Deontology, hypothetical and categorical. A Hypothetical Imperative is when you do X to get Y while a Categorical Imperative where you must do X. This imperative is either morally necessary or forbidden. This theory states that if you don't want someone to do something then you must not do it either. If you do that action it can then be accepted as a universal principle.
Examples of Deontology
Your in a convenience store looking at candy bars. You don't have enough money to buy one but you really want one. Should you steal it? If you do you may get away with it but would you want other people stealing as well. Imagine a world where everyone was allowed to steal, would that be a world that you would want to live in? A world where everyone can steal anything. You would be in a constant state of wariness because people would be making off with your things.
Another example of Deontology is your watching a train go by. A car stalls on the tracks, it is full of first graders. On a separate track, that is also connected, there is a couple of people walking. These two are your parents. Because of Deontology, your duty should be to save the first graders and have the train switch tracks and hit your parents.
Arguments against it
It makes people impartial towards their family and disrupts their relationships. You cannot say that you are special or think that your needs are more important than anyone else. We cannot use people as a means or an end. The rules conflict with each other. This theory takes away desires because you are solely acting on duty instead of reason or emotions.
What we think!
I like this theory only because it bases your actions off of duty. I also like that this theory because it talks about the universal principles and the actions that go with them. I don't like this theory because it takes away the relationships that we have worked so hard to create and build on during our lives. The relationships that we have define who we are.
Deontology is a theory is based in the past. The main question in ethics is what should I do and why while Deontology is what have I done and why. Deontology focuses completely on the actions that you do. There are two different imperatives in Deontology, hypothetical and categorical. A Hypothetical Imperative is when you do X to get Y while a Categorical Imperative where you must do X. This imperative is either morally necessary or forbidden. This theory states that if you don't want someone to do something then you must not do it either. If you do that action it can then be accepted as a universal principle.
Examples of Deontology
Your in a convenience store looking at candy bars. You don't have enough money to buy one but you really want one. Should you steal it? If you do you may get away with it but would you want other people stealing as well. Imagine a world where everyone was allowed to steal, would that be a world that you would want to live in? A world where everyone can steal anything. You would be in a constant state of wariness because people would be making off with your things.
Another example of Deontology is your watching a train go by. A car stalls on the tracks, it is full of first graders. On a separate track, that is also connected, there is a couple of people walking. These two are your parents. Because of Deontology, your duty should be to save the first graders and have the train switch tracks and hit your parents.
Arguments against it
It makes people impartial towards their family and disrupts their relationships. You cannot say that you are special or think that your needs are more important than anyone else. We cannot use people as a means or an end. The rules conflict with each other. This theory takes away desires because you are solely acting on duty instead of reason or emotions.
What we think!
I like this theory only because it bases your actions off of duty. I also like that this theory because it talks about the universal principles and the actions that go with them. I don't like this theory because it takes away the relationships that we have worked so hard to create and build on during our lives. The relationships that we have define who we are.