POLS-Y 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Deontological Ethics, Consequentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre
Document Summary
Paradox of dirty hands: deontology vs. consequentialism. Deontology people are bound to follow the rules: deontological ethics we assess the morality of actions by their intrinsic rightness or wrongness. We cannot justify unethical actions based on the outcome: deontology good act -> consequentially good outcome, deontology bad act -> consequentially bad outcome. If you engage in a deontologically bad action in order to get a consequentially good outcome your hands are deontologically dirty. Political actors are still guilty if they do deontologically bad even if they get a good outcome: they are responsible for the bad that they do, may be punished for doing wrong in order to do right. Politician wants to do good and doesn"t want to get his hands dirty, disparagement is justified. He should do what is necessary to win. Want someone who has good ethics but they should get the job done.
