Consequentialism and Kantianism are two opposing concepts that fall under normative-ethics that deals with such questions as rightness or wrongness of an action. A consequentialist, bears risk, as s/he maintains the distance from truth, to see it clearly, for the sake of clearer vision. No spam. When a two-party system fails to address the needs of its citizens, it’s unconscionable to expect them to simply accept failure. Sidgwick, Rashdall, McTaggart, and Moore were consequentialists, holding that right acts always maximize the good; Prichard, Carritt, Ross, and Broad defended the deontological view that rejects that claim. Consequentialism is usually contrasted with deontological ethics (or deontology), in that deontology, in which rules and moral duty are central, derives the rightness or wrongness of one's conduct from the character of the behaviour itself rather than the outcomes of the conduct. People abstain for a multitude of reasons, which may be rooted in consequentialist or deontological ethics – or perhaps not rooted in ethics whatsoever. You make some very solid critiques, some of which I hadn’t considered previously. Imagine you are this voter. According to consequentialism, the morality of an act can not be measured only in terms of its consequences, while the same character is found on deontology, according to the principles which governed the decision to produce this act. You do this because you feel it’s important to support your beliefs and principles, and have trouble placing your voting support behind any candidate you do not wholeheartedly believe in. , and if you can't find the answer there, please If I shoot a gun at you, but miss, is it "no harm, no foul"? Deontology vs Consequentialism. But…. Consequentialism and Deontologyare clashing moral philosophies in the field of Ethics. They can organize more effective campaigns and pull a larger number of supporters into their fold. Better capability to organize party interests, campaigns. It explores what Ross did and did not mean by saying consequentialism ‘ignores the highly personal character of duty’. Consequentialism is the analysis of the expected benefit of the results for a given course of action. But if telling a lie would help save a person’s life, consequentialism says it’s the right thing to do. In summary, consequentialism looks at the result of one’s chosen action as the norm for how one ought to act. The purpose of this article is to explain different ethical theories and compare and contrast them in a way that's clear and easy for students to understand. But now consider what happens in the long run if we always make the consequentialist decision. Some people believe punishment by death is fundamentally wrong, while others believe it’s a necessary deterrent and punishment for heinous crimes. All Rights Reserved. Psychologist Robert Waldinger discusses this in detail in his book Influence. It's also, as @ Pfhorrest has pointed out, somewhat of a false dichotomy, or perhaps more generally a purely thought out question. A vote for that third candidate may indeed be a swing vote that does nothing more than to empower your ultimate enemy, despite the inherent virtue of backing your preferred candidate. 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. Polarization of the voter base, leading to…. You can attempt to resolve this conflict a few ways: In this situation, you vote for the political candidate who most closely aligns with your beliefs and interests under the circumstances, and who’s in a likely position win based on available information (e.g. Focus on “being right” instead of working together. Read More. Example: During a presidential election, you are a Democrat who doesn’t like the Democratic or Republican nominees. I believe most people do what they think and feel is best, and that which will help the most people in the most fair manner. They can more easily develop a coherent political strategy, and they only have one major opponent to overcome. Two examples of consequentialism are utilitarianism and hedonism. Progress could very easily grind to a halt as people refuse to give an inch to others’ ideas. Instead, you vote for the Republican nominee to make sure your vote “counts.” After all, you would rather see the Republican nominee win than the Democratic one; voting for your preferred, third candidate might swing important votes away from the Republican front runner, helping the Democratic party’s cause. 16 comments. Does it depend? It may cause individuals to lose sight of bigger goals in their immediate effort to “defeat” the other side. Consequentialism is the school of thought which asserts that the morality of a given action is to be judged by the consequence of that action. 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. date: 22 December 2020. Your views more closely align with a third, less popular candidate – but you don’t vote for this third candidate, because they seem unlikely to win (think: independents, third party candidates, etc.). Your views align with a third, less popular candidate – and you vote for them, even though their chances of winning are slim. Imagine there is only a 1% chance the accused is innocent? Example: Robin Hood steals from the rich to help the poor. They start blending together and it becomes a bastardly, broken state of affairs. This becomes more “true” if Hillary Clinton clinches the democratic nomination, in which case votes for Bernie Sanders in the general election may truly be swing votes that simply diminish her chances of beating Trump. Consequentialism focuses on … They were a strong, bold people who aligned their actions with their vision and purpose. In layman’s terms, what happens when we make a series of consequentialist decisions, over and over, ad infitium? It’s one thing to compromise with your date on restaurant or movie choices, but it’s another to compromise one’s deepest beliefs and values. Kant’s deontological ethics. Virtue Ethics In “Virtue Ethics, Kantian Ethics, and Consequentialism,” Singleton puts forward the basic tenet that virtue ethics is concerned with the development of a virtuous character (Singleton, 1999). We might also ask ourselves, “What are the long-term consequences of accepting poor outcomes in the short-term simply because they are more ‘realistic’?” (In other words, what are the long-term consequences of consequestialism itself?). *This leans more towards deontology and your categorical imperative(s). For example, imagine I am hiding a Jewish family in my attic when the SS officers knock on my door. This is a more specific way of delineating what might be the “highest human Deontology vs Consequentialism. These branches do not exactly compete; think of them more as different lenses focusing on different aspects of morality. Interestingly enough, staying true to one’s beliefs and morals is also quite pragmatic. For example, the pope draws this line at a much different point than your average sociopath. 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. It defines what is permitted or forbidden based on its consequences. Imagine you’re a young girl subject to an arranged marriage. The promised land is constantly postponed into the future. More likely, the people will start looking for alternative solutions. Many in the “Bernie or Bust” camp believe Hillary Clinton simply isn’t fit to be our country’s next leader. Voting for the lesser of two evils is arguably quite pragmatic. This ethics is contrasted to consequentialism and utilitarianism, deontology states that some acts are always wrong regardless the outcome unlike a utilitarian or consequentialist, and that a good will is the sole intrinsic good. Consequentialism vs Utilitarianism . Example: During a presidential election, imagine you are a Republican who doesn’t like the Democratic or Republican nominees. It’s guarantees that you’re always making poor choices (even if you have the best of intentions). Archived. Yet this is both a blessing and burden, isn’t it? Deontology vs Consequentialism vs Utilitarianism. It is also referred to as moral philosophy and analyzes the principles that decide the behavior of an individual or a group. And at least in the short run, this is a very convincing argument. contact us Meanwhile there are those #nevertrump Democrats who remind the #bernieorbust crowd their actions may ultimately secure the presidency for Trump, if they are unable to unite behind Hillary if she wins the nomination. Consequentialism holds that the consequences of one’s actions are the basis for moral judgment. To what extent do you feel the legal system must “prove” the accused’s guilt before it becomes acceptable to issue the death penalty, if at all? You might call this line your reservation price for “switching” between deontological and consequentialist decision-making. The consequentialist may become upset by this analysis, reminding us of the importance of pragmatism over idealism. VIRTUE ETHICS, DEONTOLOGY, AND CONSEQUENTIALISM 6 1. The “two” comes from our long-standing two-party system. Deontology lays more emphasis on preaching about moral values and teaching what is right and wrong. But if telling a lie would help save a person’s life, consequentialism says it’s the right thing to do. Two examples of consequentialism are utilitarianism and hedonism. Voters of different backgrounds, belief systems, life experiences, etc. Deontological (duty-based) ethics are concerned with what people do, not with the consequences of their actions. For instance, if you are a Democrat who supports Bernie Sanders, but you believe the prospect of a Trump presidency is the worst possible outcome – voting for Hillary Clinton may be more realistic, and serve to prevent the Trump presidency with more certainty, than voting for Bernie Sanders (even if you despise Hillary Clinton). (Yikes!). You have never been involved in voting before, and you haven’t taken the time to educate yourself on the candidates up for election or their views, issues, and positions. share. In this essay, I will more concentrate on consequentialism, especially utilitarianism, and deontology to make compare and contrast analysis of each other and how each case works differently and causes divergent result in the same scenario. Consequentialists hold that choices—acts and/orintentions—are to be morally assessed solely by the states ofaffairs they bring about. Prichard, W.D. And in the case we risk never reaching our true goals while slowly undermining the moral fabric of society. 25%? Under all three theories – deontology, consequentialism, and virtue ethics, providing my customers all information that I was aware of should be the most appropriate course of action that I should perform. 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