Essay On Deontology And Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is a theory that states one should do the greatest good for greatest number of people, while deontology states that the focus should be on the action itself rather than the consequences of the action. I believe that utilitarianism is the moral way to behave in society due to the way in which it allows the greatest good for the greatest number.

The trolley problem is a moral scenario with two outcomes. In the first scenario, a train is on a train track approaching five innocent people who are tied down to it. A bystander sees the people and also sees a lever that will put the train on an alternate route in which there is only one person who is tied down. The moral question at state is does one let the train go on its natural …show more content…
Deontology’s main focus is on the rightness and wrongness of the action itself rather than the rightness and wrongness of the consequences of that action. Deontology states that by trying to save the lives of everyone, one is completing their moral duties. This differs from utilitarianism due to the fact that a utilitarianist would pull the lever in the first scenario, whereas a deontologist would try to save everyone and ultimately walk away. In both scenarios, according to deontology, the moral thing to do would be to let the train take its natural course if there is no way of saving everyone. Deontology says that one cannot pull the lever or push the man because right is more prioritized than good. Therefore, the right thing to do is let the train take its path because it would have happened anyway. I find that deontology is not the moral way in which the scenario should be dealt with due to the fact that it seems cowardly to act as though you did not see anything and walk away from the situation when lives could be saved. Deontology also states that one’s hands must remain clean; It doesn’t matter what the consequences