Emmanuel Kant's Deontology: The True Definition Of Ethics

It is hard to pinpoint the true definition of ethics. Although it could be defined, in simple terms, as what the society approves of right and wrong, defining ethics as simple as that is “unethical”. In fact, since centuries, several philosophers have disputed with the definition of ethics and several have come up with their own philosophical ideas of ethics. But, for the time-being, the definition of ethics can be expanded to “well-founded standards of right or wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues” (Velasquez et. al). Because the definition of ethics is so confusing and conflicting, at times, it arose to a branch of ethics that investigates

In other words, Kant’s deontological ethics acknowledges that actions and their outcomes are independent things (Shakil). The primary focus of deontologists is that the moral intentions or the moral duties are more important than the consequences. As humans have an ability to make rational decisions, deontologists argue that people have to perform duties that are morally correct and must not be influenced to perform them based on what we gain from its consequences. Kant, further theorizes, that the moral worth of an action is determined by the human will and that people have to perform moral duties that encourage good will. Although there are several well-known deontologists, Kant is generally considered as the father of deontology as he further developed this ideology with his concept of categorical

Utilitarianism, or consequential ethics, is an ethical ideology proposed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill that “argues the proper course of action is one that maximizes a positive effect, such as “happiness”, “welfare”, or the ability to live according to personal preferences” (Baggini et