Deontological Ethics Study Guide

Deontological Ethics Study Guide

Deontology Ethics

Deontology Ethics

a subcategory of ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, as opposed to the rightness or wrongness of those consequences in the actions.

“Duty-Based” or “Obligation-Based” Ethics

another term for deontology ethics

Moral Absolutism

the belief that some actions are wrong no matter what consequences follow from them

Two Responses to Skepticism

rationalism and empiricism

Empiricism

founded by John Locke, the belief that sense-experience is the most reliable source of knowledge

Tabula Rasa

Locke believed that everyone is born with this, translates to “blank slate”

Primary Qualities

qualities that physical objects themselves have, can be measured (size, density, height, length, etc.)

Secondary Qualities

qualities that can be interpreted, not real and are subjective (color, shape, texture, smell, etc.)

George Berkely

philosopher who believed that nothing actually existed, only things that we could perceive actually exist, once we stopped perceiving them, they no longer exist

Social Contract

the idea that the existence of the government is in fact a contract between people and rulers

The Three Main Social Contract Philosophers

Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Hobbes’ Belief on Inherent Human Nature

selfish and rational

Hobbes’ View of Sovereignty

to maintain peace and stability

John Locke’s Three Natural Rights

life, liberty, property

Locke’s View of Sovereignty

to protect the natural rights of the people

Amour Propre

• a corrupted version of self love

• brought greed, pride, envy and shame

Jean Jacques Rousseau

• Social Contract philosopher

• believed that we cannot go back, only forward

Categorical Imperative

• created by Immanuel Kant

• in order to determine what’s right or wrong, one has to use reason

• morality is a constant in a mathematical sense

• commands you should follow, moral obligations, derived from pure reason

Two Main Formulations of the Categorical Imperative

Universalizability Principle and the Formula of Humanity