An Examination of Deontology and Utilitarianism in Deeply...

An Examination of Deontology and Utilitarianism in Deeply Moral Situations Samuel Adams (1722 - 1803), an American patriot and politician, once stated, Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by reason[1]. This statement is significant, as it undermines two of the primary ethical doctrines in philosophy - the deontological perspective defended by Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804) in Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals (634), and utilitarianism, supported by John Stuart Mill (1806 - 1873) in his essay, Utilitarianism (667). Deontology and utilitarianism are contrasting theories. The former focuses on the intrinsic moral worth of our actions, whereas the latter argues that the consequences of our actions determine†¦show more content†¦In this situation, the prospect of losing one or more of her children will undoubtedly cause the woman tremendous emotional anguish. Her plight corroborates Adams statement and implies that it is impossible to arrive at a rational decision in moral situations that elicit an emotional response. If the woman approaches the situation from a deontological standpoint, her decision will be influenced by her desire to act from duty and uphold a maxim that encompasses moral worth. For example, could the woman act according to a maxim that supposes it is prudent (in dire circumstances such as those in which she finds herself) to sacrifice one persons life to save the lives of others? If this maxim can be proved valid (i.e., universalizable), it seems evident that she will choose to kill one child to preserve the lives of the other two. However, this maxim is clearly not universalizable, as it involves using someone as a means to an end. Kant emphasizes, Man must always be regarded as an end in himself. Therefore I cannot dispose of man in my own person so as to mutilate, corrupt, or kill him (662). The child who is to be murdered will obviously not consent to this fate for the reason that it is a duty to preserve ones life, and everyone has a direct inclination to do s o (645). As a result, he will not be considered an end in himself, as he will not agree to share in the purpose of his mothers action (663).Show MoreRelatedApplication of Ethical Theories12285 Words   |  50 Pagesethics is a specialized branch of ethics focusing on how moral standards apply to business organizations and behavior (Velasques, 1998). As such, it cannot be understood separately from the general ideas of ethics, and the general ethical theories apply to business ethics as well (Hunt Vitell, 1986; Fritzsche Becker, 1984; Schumann, 2001; Lahdesnati, 2005). Normative ethical theory offers different moral theories, each prescribing a set of moral rules that individuals can apply in the process of decidingRead MoreThe Effects of Ethical Climates on Bullying Behaviour in the Workplace13824 Words   |  56 Pagespersonality of the victim (Bjorkqvist et al.,  ¨ 1994), a general negative evaluation of the leadership Ethical Climate and Bullying style and conï ¬â€šict resolution strategies of the employee’s immediate supervisor (TÄ ±naz, 2006; Vartia, 1996), low moral standards and culture (Einarsen, 1999), and a combination of organizational, work group and personal factors (Zapf, 1999) have been mentioned. However, bullying or mobbing behaviour does not occur in isolation, this behaviour evolves during time andRead MoreEntertainment Media Ethics : Music And Music Videos8248 Words   |  33 Pagesindustry would require picking up logic, thinking about the effects of the music and music videos on audiences. Ethics is needed in the music industry to build credibility among artistes and fans, to build trustworthiness. It will make music makers think deeply about the work they create, about the meanings that they convey with those words and the effects their music have on audiences. In line with Plato who believed that musicians are imitations of the physical world which is in turn an imitation of the