Ethical System: Consequentialism And Deontology

In philosophy, there are ethical systems in place to help identify what would ideally be considered a universally accepted basis for morality. These systems follow ethical beliefs which philosophers categorize under different sets of moral rules. Two very important examples of these moral systems are Consequentialism and Deontology. They are two different strategies which attempt to identify what morality is really about by outlining the different values of what makes a good and ethical person. Deontology determines morality based on laws which are followed with the intent of being a good person not to be overly concerned with consequences, whereas Consequentialism focusses more on the results, because the belief is that the end will justify …show more content…
While it is taken into consideration for a consequentialist, in Deontology it would be considered more important to focus on the person’s intention to do the right thing rather than their concern with the results. This is the most ethical way to make any decision, with the primary concern being to follow what moral and societal rules deem as the right thing to do. When a choice is made because the person understands that it is their duty to do what's right, it is much more honourable than when they do something because it will result in a good consequence. From a consequentialist’s perspective, “consequences can conceivably justify any kind of act, for it does not matter how harmful it is to some so long as it is more beneficial to others.” Utilitarianism is an example of extremely consequentialist viewpoints because it is focussed entirely on identifying which path will result in the outcome of maximum pleasure for the highest number of people. Although it could hypothetically be ideal to live in a society where the only concern is the happiness of its people, it is not realistic or moral to run a life based solely on doing what will result in the most pleasure for the most people. In Deontology, it is never okay to make a choice as merely a means to and end. This …show more content…
When defining morality it is important to “recognize the existence of significant variation in what rules and ideals different people put forward as morality.” However, in philosophy, the ethical system which makes the best case for what morality is really about it would be Deontology rather than Consequentialism. This is because deontologists are concerned with doing the right thing because it is what is ultimately morally good which is more ethical than defining what is right by whether or not an act results in a positive consequence. “Ethics, also called moral philosophy, [is] the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad, right and wrong.” The categorical imperative and other deontological teachings fit neatly into the definition of ethics since the top priority is to always do what is right before being concerned with anything else. Deontology defines what morality is really about because taking the most ethical approach is what a deontologist values most, the same cannot be said for a consequentialist, which makes deontology superior to consequentialism from a moral and ethical