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- Deontology and utilitarianism
The leading theories of modern ethics are deontology and utilitarianism.
- Deontology
Deontology is best represented by Immanuel Kant for whom an action is moral only if it can be willed to be a universal law for everyone and the action is done out of respect for duty regardless of the consequences and what one happens to desire.
- Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is usually associated with Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill who argue that a moral action is the action that results in the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people, everyone given equal consideration.
- Common features of deontology and utilitarianism.
Despite their differences -- deontology focuses on rules and is rooted in reason while utilitarianism focuses on results and is rooted in psychology -- They have several things in common.
- both theories express the Enlightenment quest for universal laws that govern everything and the desire to make morality secular, scientific, objective, and rational.
- They combine a variety of moral considerations into systematic frameworks centered around a major idea derived from reflection on the nature of the right or the good, ideal conditions of choice, human nature, or agency.
- for both deontologists and utilitarians, moral reasoning consists in the application of theoretically derived principles to particular cases in a deductive manner.
- Questions on the Readings
- What does "utility" mean according to Bentham?
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What is Bentham's felicific calculus?
- How does the "is-ought"problem relate to Bentham's theory?
- What is Mill's justification for claiming that higher pleasures are better than lower pleasures?
- On what grounds does Mill reject Bentham's hedonistic calculus?
- What, according to Kant, is the only thing that is good in itself? Why does he think so?
- Explain the difference between acting "for the sake of duty" and acting "in accordance with duty"
- Provide two formulation of the categorical imperative.
- Explain How Kant's moral philosophy challenges the idea that morality is subjective and relative.
- What are prima facie duties? What problems do they raise?
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