PHIL 313 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Primum Non Nocere, Kantian Ethics, Prima Facie
Document Summary
Deontology, or the study of duty, is concerned with actions, not consequences. People have a duty to act in the right even if bad consequences are a result. As opposed to consequentialism, which is concerned with the results of actions and not the actions themselves, deontologists have a concrete definition of what is right and wrong. Deontology emphasizes the value of every human being. All humans are given equal value and respect. One criticism of consequentialism is that the judgement of consequences leads to uncertainty about how people should act because there isn"t always going to be one answer. Because deontology relies on concrete rules, the actions of people are always certain. If a wrong act was unintentional, the agent is not criticized for it. Rules can be narrowly framed to include intention and thus exclude those that acted unintentionally. Allows acts that make the world less good.