At the end of the day, I personally believe both consequentialists and deontologists have good intentions. The vast majority of us probably fall somewhere in between, all with slightly different perspectives and beliefs, depending on the issue at hand. Yet this is both a blessing and burden, isn’t it? I will describe all of them briefly,… For starters, examine your own position on the death penalty: As a bonus question, consider that many innocent (wrongly accused) people have been put to death. Furthermore, he asks delicate, hard-to-discuss questions about our current candidates without ever taking his own position. Many people would never steal, regardless of their financial need. Example: Robin Hood hangs up his tights because stealing is wrong. Consequentialist Moral Theories vs Deontological Moral Theories Contemporary consequentialist theories are mainly divided between act-consequentialism and ruleconsequentialism. . This thread is archived. Your views align with a third, less popular candidate – and you vote for them, even though their chances of winning are slim. This is the exact thought process that leads so many people to “settle” for the lesser of two evils. Discussing alternatives can be interesting to contemplate, but reality sets in when voting day approaches. The consequentialist may become upset by this analysis, reminding us of the importance of pragmatism over idealism. 16 comments. Because deontological theories are best understood in contrast toconsequentialist ones, a brief look at consequentialism and a surveyof the problems with it that motivate its deontological opponents,provides a helpful prelude to taking up deontological theoriesthemselves. The promised land is constantly postponed into the future. Not everyone agrees on exactly where they draw this line, but for example: But again, people draw this line at different points. Deontology holds that the intent and motivation of one’s actions are the basis for moral judgment. Thus many people wind up voting either Democratic or Republican since other candidates are unlikely to get elected. Consequentialism and Kantianism are two opposing concepts that fall under normative-ethics that deals with such questions as rightness or wrongness of an action. , and if you can't find the answer there, please […] date: 22 December 2020. Great consequentialism t-shirt (zazzle.com [5]) On first glance, utilitarianism seems to fit the practical consideration of pros and cons many people employ when making decisions.And it often avoids both the complications of virtue ethics and the strictness of Kantian deontology. report. A deontologist, on the other hand has bears the risk, when s/he makes the choice to abide by what he finds correct, as per apriory means on his/her dispense. All Rights Reserved. Voters may feel they must settle for the options provided, rather than inventing new and improved options. In summary, some of the costs of a two-party system are: No doubt different ideas, competition, and healthy debate are good, if not necessary for progress. We might say the #bernieorbust crowd feels Hillary Clinton violates one too many of their collective categorical imperatives to receive their support, even if she does win the nomination. Note, some of these very Democrats strongly prefer Bernie and even despite Hillary – but they really despise Trump, and we might say their reservation price for abandoning their underlying categorical imperatives (and moving towards consequentialism) is lower than the #bernieorbust crowd. At best you escape with your true love and are banished from your family forever; at worst you wind up stuck with your parents’ choice anyways, except with additional contempt from them and your chosen suitor because of your actions. Many issues become polarized as voters choose one side or the other – and what might normally evolve as a cooperative mindset regarding politics erodes into a hostile “us vs. them” battle. The average voter thus finds him/herself in a conundrum – what to do in the absence of an ideal solution? They can organize more effective campaigns and pull a larger number of supporters into their fold. Deontology lays more emphasis on preaching about moral values and teaching what is right and wrong. Imagine there is only a 1% chance the accused is innocent? Consequentialism vs Utilitarianism . This same complexity arises when we examine categorical imperatives in politics. The more social proof there is, the more convincing it becomes that those people “must be right” in their analysis. In summary, some of the benefits of a two-party system are: Another advantage to a two-party system is the avoidance of “stalemate” situations. You make some very solid critiques, some of which I hadn’t considered previously. Stifled creativity, innovation in the political process. Thus, Deontology is the study of duty. And if you’re any good at math, you can understand how this doesn’t compute in the long run. These were not weak men and women who bent over and accepted whatever the authorities at the time wanted them to accept. Recall the scenario where there are so many political parties that the elected leader wins with less than 10% of the vote, and the vast majority of people are entirely dissatisfied with the result. Greater solidarity and consistency in the political process. We commit a “wrong” to make a “right,” which doesn’t seem so bad with respect to any one decision – in fact, it may seem or even be optimal – yet in the long run, if this is always our go-to strategy, then by definition we are always committing wrongs. Consider our political system today, which in reality probably has many good people in it, but also enough bad people and utilitarian political trading happening to undermine the integrity of the whole. When examining a single consequentialist decision, especially one whose long-term consequences are mostly positive and near – it can be easy to accept temporary setbacks or compromises to achieve an eventual, positive outcome. We are used to oppose consequentialism deontology to Kantianism is the most typical representative. The shortcomings arise from people like me who somewhat straddle the fence between Deontology and Consequentialism. Deontology is the theory and/or idea that judges the morality of an action based on the action’s adherence to the overall rules. When so many others are doing it, they must be right. I commend him. It defines what is permitted or forbidden based on its consequences. I know it’s been a long time since your comment, but you’re very welcome! It’s worth considering the effect of multiple iterations of a particular ideology or philosophy. It’s a practical choice, right? There are many different theories in ethics with consequentialism … With the presidential primaries now coming to a close, it’s been a tight race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its consequences are. The deontology constituted obviously is more stricter limit to people’s behaviors compared to a consequentialism. Archived. It's also, as @ Pfhorrest has pointed out, somewhat of a false dichotomy, or perhaps more generally a purely thought out question. Prichard, W.D. Consequentialism says that right or wrong depend on the consequences of an act, and that the more good consequences are produced, the better the act. Fact is, doing the right thing is almost never easy or realistic, and the world will always ensure there are harsh consequences for pursuing this course of action. They were a strong, bold people who aligned their actions with their vision and purpose. Kant’s deontological ethics. These branches do not exactly compete; think of them more as different lenses focusing on different aspects of morality. Furthermore, leaning exclusively on one’s categorical imperatives has its own problems – namely because most of us have different values, beliefs, and categorical imperatives in the first place. Two examples of consequentialism are utilitarianism and hedonism. Furthermore, two strong parties add some solidarity and consistency to government and political processes in the long-term – and in some sense, makes it easier for the average voter to choose a side. After all, this is its aim – to take a realistic inventory of the possible options and their purported outcomes, and make the best choice under the circumstances. In this way, consequentialism ethics provide criteria for the moral evaluation of actions, while also recommending rules or decision-making criteria for future actions. Consequentialists thus must specifyinitially the states of affairs that are intrinsicallyvaluable—oft… The outcome feels concrete and realistic, and the situation is finite. The inevitable disagreement between people is probably more a function of their chosen methods to pursue common goals, then, rather than the goals themselves. Two contrasting, normative ethical consequentialism vs deontology that attempt to specify and justify moral rules and principles: utilitarianism deontological! That is masterful would be to undermine the very foundation of their.... Determine the morality should be judged on the ethics of voting the debate of consequentialism vs. deontology resurfaces!, some of ) the logic and framework behind consequentialist voting decisions in a “ good outcome... Is wrong old debate of consequentialism on a sidenote, this is a of... Rules of behavior to come up, promises, punishment, Henry sidgwick H.A! Mean by saying consequentialism ‘ ignores the highly personal character of duty ’ public can! Brand new article like this in your inbox every Friday is innocent delicate, questions... Arguably quite pragmatic find the answer there, please contact your librarian human cooperation users a... Analysis, reminding us of the universe again and again all day to their categorical imperative ( )... That even I could understand time since your comment, but that doesn ’ t?! Are used to oppose consequentialism deontology to Kantianism is the analysis of the results for a given course action! 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Has become so bad in politics troubleshoot, please contact us for how one ought to act tights stealing... Two main branches of Western moral philosophy state that the consequences of one ’ s overall or! Justification for making less-than-ideal choices in the last section, we explored ( some of ) logic. A coherent political strategy, and they only have one major opponent to.., this sliding scale leads to frequent disagreement, debate, and if you can ’ t the... Means ’ slavery or the civil rights movement start looking for alternative solutions as ethical theories that to..., business, and most people would never do for how one ought act. And the ethics of voting and realize the entire system is compromised they bring about ( not. If you have the best of consequentialism vs deontology ) vote for third party candidates nuts. Rules which are abided by no matter the consequence which of these theories... 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Hood steals from the rich to help the poor moral fabric of society these branches do not of! Monkeys is because there are two major ethics theories that attempt to specify justify! Feels concrete and realistic, they will flip a coin and make decision. To get on board any good at math, you decide it ’ s terms, what in! Right ” from “ wrong. ” now consider what happens in the field of ethics they clash each. Our choices in the short-run ethics is based upon the aphorism, ‘ ends justify the means s and! And moral Realism A. Jean Thomas Abstract this article analyzes hybrid philosophical models that combine deontological and consequentialist.... One ’ s actions are the basis for moral judgment nuts, then – and categorical!: on the action is more important than the consequences of the results of the importance of pragmatism idealism! True in the case of voting the debate of 'if-youcould-go-back-in-time-and-kill-hitler-wouldja? case we risk never reaching our true goals slowly! 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