Deontological EthicsIs saving someone from drowning a morally praiseworthy act?

Do motives play any role in whether an act is morally praiseworthy?

Deontological Ethics Ethical theory that judges

the moral rightness of an act in terms of the intrinsic moral value of the act itself

Deontological Ethics Immanuel Kant is the most notable proponent of deontological

ethics “Nothing can be called good without

qualification except the good will”

Intentions matter

Kantian Ethics-- Moral worth of an act is not dependant upon

its consequences

-- An act has moral worth if it is done for the sake of the moral law

Kantian Ethics Hypothetical Imperative – A

rule that tells us what means to use to achieve a desires end

Kantian Ethics Categorical Imperative - A

rule that tells us without qualifications what we should do

What is the moral law?

The Categorical Imperative

Kantian EthicsThe Categorical Imperative (Kant’s Unconditional Moral Law)

Two Versions

First Version

“Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become universal law.”

Kantian EthicsFirst Version

* State the maxim (rule) on the basis of which you are planning to act

* Formulate the maxim in terms of a universal law

* See if you can rationally will that everyone follow this universal maxim

Kantian EthicsSecond Version

“Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only”

Kantian Ethics

Kantian EthicsSecond Version

This rule states that we must treat people (including ourselves) as ends in themselves, rather than as things with instrumental value to be used for someone else’s purpose.”

Kantian EthicsWhat if duties conflict?

Natural Law Theory Right actions are

those that accord with the moral principles that we can discover in the very structure of nature itself.

Divine Command Theory A theory asserting

that the morally right action is the one that God commands

Natural Law Theory St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) 1. Preservation of life

2. The propagation and education of off spring

3. The pursuit of truth and a peaceful society

Natural Laws Conflicts can be

resolved by applying the doctrine of double effect.

Doctrine of Double Effect: Principle that performing a good action may be permissible even if it has bad effects, but performing a bad action for the purpose of achieving good effects is never permissible.

The Doctrine of Double Effect More formally, an

action is permissible if four requirements are met:

1. The action is inherently either morally good or morally neutral.

2. The bad effect is not used to produce the good effect.

3. The intention must always be to bring about the good effect.

4. The good effect must be at least as important as the bad effect.