Compare and contrast utilitarianism and deontology. In doing so, he articulated several key principles to the role ones morality. Compare contrast mill s utilitarianism and kant s deontological ethics. Utilitarianism says that an act is justified if maximum numbers of people are deriving happiness out of it. Utilitarianism and kants categorical imperative essay bartleby.
The term kantian ethics refers primarily to the ethical theory of immanuel. Both propose to base morality on a single first principle for kant the categorical imperative in its three supposedly equivalent formulations, for mill the principle of utility. This lesson describes these two philosophical views and explores their positions on the. Immanuel kant was an 18th century prussian philosopher. Unlike religious deontological theories, the rules or maxims in kants deontological theory derive from human reason. Metaphysics allegory of the cave, idealism, materialism, aristotelianism, philosophy of time, personal identity. Oct 19, 2014 kantianism and utilitarianism have different ways for determining whether an act we do is right or wrong. Kant and mill a comparison of ethical theories philosophy. Utilitarianism vs deontology critical thinkings examples. I some utilitarians even allow for there to be quanti able units of pain and pleasure. Mills principle of utilitarianism is defined as maximizing the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.
This exam covers the moral theories of mills utilitarianism, kants deontology, and aristotles virtue ethics. Wolff his theory holds that an action is either just or unjust without any regard to the consequences of. Nineteenth century philosopher john stewart mill s utilitarianism approach sees fulfillment from the completely opposite angle, with one s actions over time. Such a conclusion would imply that the influence being greater on society includes greater influence in the development of philosophy. On the other hand, it says the end does not justify the means. For a discussion of john stuart mill s book utilitarianism, see utilitarianism book. Morality is a discipline that is concerned with what is right and wrong other definition. Utilitarianism and kants categorical imperative essay.
As typical examples of teleological ethical theories, one refers to classical utilitarianism jeremy bentham and john stuart mill and such 20thcentury. Act always as to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of persons. This is the main difference between utilitarianism and deontology. Kant employs his corroboration of the subsistence of metaphysics as a discipline in his ethical philosophy. Utilitarianism states that what makes an action right is that it produces the greatest amount of happiness not just your happiness, but others as well. There is a definite contrast between utilitarianism, even mills version, and kants system of ethics, known as deontology, in which duty, obligation, and good will are of the highest. Kant claimed that in order for a maxim to be used as an ethical law it must pass the test that is categorical vital ci. Utilitarianism revolves around the concept of the end justifies the means, while deontology works on the concept the end does not justify the means. John stuart mill s utilitarianism and immanuel kant s. John stuart mill, the philosopher who created utilitarianism as a moral theory, was born 1806. Nov 12, 2015 solve each of the following dilemmas using one of the following theories. Mills utilitarianism, kants deontology, or aristotles virtue ethics. Kantianism is postulated by immanuel kant while utilitarianism is postulated by jeremy bentham, john sturt mill, henry sidgwick, et al. For the architectural theory, see form follows function.
Whats the difference between mills utilitarianism and. He believes what motivates human beings to act is the pursuit of pleasure, or the avoidance of pain. The first oneis based on the value of right motive and right act deontology. Utilitarianism is hard universalism that is that there is an absolute, universal principle of morality which is not subject to cultural interpretation. Utilitarianism is a family of consequentialist ethical theories that promotes actions that maximize happiness and wellbeing for the. Utilitarianism is a generally teleological ethical system, where the outcome is said to justify the act. Immanuel kants deontological ethical theory evaluates if actions are moral based on the persons will or intention of. Kantian duty based deontological ethics seven pillars. Kantianism vs utilitarianism attitude towards what is right or wrong is what constitutes the basic difference between utilitarianism and kantianism. Kantian moral and utilitarianism theories attempt to respond to the ethical nature of human beings. In this paper, i will illustrate the arguments pertaining to john stuart mill s teleological utilitarianism and immanuel kant s deontological categorical imperative.
Mallory sivard nwankwo chukwuebuka justin sahar sadruddin what is morality. His theory is more of a virtue ethics approach or deontological ethics that are based on. Is mills utilitarianism the same as costbenefit analysis. Beginners guide to kants moral philosophy duration. Mill utilitarianism if asked to choose one of the two theories based solely on which one had the least troubling problems i would pick kant and the metaphysics of morals.
The categorical imperative is an example of what s called a deontological ethic. Kants evidence for this is simple or, rather i can explain it in a simple. Andrew sponsler 11415 ethics considering ethical dilemmas through utilitarianism and deontology kants theory of deontology and mills theory of utilitarianism provide starkly different approaches to assigning moral value to ethical dilemmas, two modern dilemmas being commercial surrogacy and physicianassisted suicide. Difference between utilitarianism and deontology compare. Unlike bentham and mill, immanuel kant 17241804 was not.
To begin with, lets mention definitions of kants duty and utilitarianism studies. Utilitarianism is a family of consequentialist ethical theories that promotes actions that maximize happiness and wellbeing for the affected individuals. If kant is correct that moral absolutes cannot be violated, then he prevents any loopholes, selfserving exceptions, and personal biases in the. What is the difference between kantianism and utilitarianism. Normative ethics is a branch of philosophical ethics that investigates the set of questions that arise when considering how one should morally act. Kants theory, in a more simplified description, could be seen through his hypothetical imperative and categorical imperative. Utilitarianism in any functioning society, a system of morals must be present to establish what is right and wrong. In the 1997 film extreme measures a young british doctor, guy luthan, who is serving a residency in a new york hospital, is faced. How is kants categorical imperative view different from. So unless kant did so from a heavenly place postmortem, he could not have formed an opinion on utilitarianism. Utilitarianism i the most common form of consequentialism is utilitarianism i utilitarianism combines consequentialism with the claim that the only valuable consequence is pleasure, and the only disvaluable consequence is pain. Use kants first formula of categorical imperative to explain step by step why the following maxim is morally wrong.
Kant stated that a universal law should provide the basis for each act, and that the intention was of more importance than the result. No other moral theories are permitted on this exam. Immanuel kant s the grounding for the metaphysics of morals and john stuart mill s utilitarianism immanuel kant and john stuart mill are philosophers who addressed the issues of morality in terms of how moral traditions are formed. I we can give an easy model of the value of an action. Moral theories of mills utilitarianism, kants deontology. Beginner s guide to kant s moral philosophy duration. Do the ends always or sometimes morally justify the means. In kants moral teachings, individuals still had free will to accept or reject it. This article discusses utilitarian ethical and philosophical theory. In contrast to kant who grounds his ethical theory on selfimposed rules. There is hardly any similarity between utilitarianism and kantianism.
The philosophical approaches of kants deontology and mill. Deontology does not believe in the concept of the end justifies the means. Deontology is defined as the area of ethics involving the. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or, the one.
Kant s deontology both utilitarianism and deontology are normative ethical theories. Theories of mills utilitarianism, kants deontology, and. Rebuttals will be less important here, as we will be mostly trying to build our case better than our opponent. Compare and contrast utilitarianism and deontology term. Mill, on the principle of utilitarianism on the other strongly feels that the. Deontology is defined as the area of ethics involving the responsibility, moral duty and commitment. He contends that morality is ones duty and utmost responsibility, regardless of how one is feeling at the time. To better understand deontology, compare it to some opposing theories, such as utilitarianism, which says we have an obligation to take the course of action that achieves the most positive outcome or consequence. In its turn, the utilitarianism states that proper course of action among all existing is the one that maximizes the overall good of the greatest number of individuals. What is the distinction between rule utilitarianism and act utilitarianism.
The exam contains three moral dilemmas, each of which must be solved using a different moral theory. In moral philosophy, deontological ethics or deontology from greek. Utilitarianism takes no account of integrity the accidental act or one done with evil intent if promoting good ends is the good act. In the 1997 film extreme measures a young british doctor, guy luthan, who is serving a residency in a new york hospital, is faced with some difficult moral and professional dilemmas. In utilitarianism, mill generated an encompassing code of ethics by the same name utilitarianism. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different characterizations, the basic idea behind all of them is to in some sense maximize utility, which is often defined in terms of wellbeing or related concepts. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Ethical theories ethics resource guide stafford library at. Quotation philosopher debate utilitarianism pro vs. The primary difference between utilitarianism and virtue ethics is the mode and means of human fulfillment.
Nearly everything in a community is at least loosely based on a code of morals. Deontology is exactly the opposite of utilitarianism when it comes to the explanations of its concepts. Kantians believe human life is valuable because humans are the bearers of rational life oneill 414. Compare and contrast utilitarianism with christian ethics the ethical teachings and values of utilitarianism and christian ethics are similar in some aspects, yet however are diverse in others. Feb 06, 20 kants theory of ethics is known as kantian ethics and it is considered deontological because deontology is the normative ethical position that judges the morality of an action based on the actions adherence to a rule. Act utilitarianism is sensitive to the situation, but rule utilitarianism can be as well, as long as one can provide a rule that maximizes happiness in general, which also applies to this situation. In contemporary moral philosophy, deontology is used most commonly to refer. Read good critical thinking on utilitarianism vs deontology and other exceptional papers on every subject and topic college can throw at you. Deontological ethics there are two major ethics theories that attempt to specify and justify moral rules and principles. Explain the different aspects of the theory you are using, and clearly show how that theory prescribes a certain action for the person involved in the dilemma. Mills utilitarianism is a more refined ethical theory compared to kants breakdown of the metaphysics and its use in proving what is right and what is wrong. John steward mill 18061873 was jeremys friend and, fortunately for utilitarians, the one who took on benthams critics. The primary difference between mills utilitarianism and kant s deontology is the answer to the question. Latest posts by joshua see all difference between sore throat and strep throat march 5, 2012.
Kant and mill a comparison of ethical theories philosophy essay. The ci consists of 3 formulas, the doctrine, this is the test of the rational possibility of universalizability act just on that maxim which you can at the very same time will need to become a doctrine which declares that if a maxim is universalizable then if. In an example given in his book, if bullying a lonely child produces pleasure as. Apr 17, 2009 the following is an excerpt from article de1971 from the christian research institute. Differentiate between utilitarianism and deontology. Ethics is the conscious reflection on our moral beliefs targeting to improve, extend or refine those beliefs in some way. Utilitarianism says that an act is justified if maximum numbers of people are deriving happiness out of. May 30, 2011 kants evidence for this is simple or, rather i can explain it in a simple. Ethics divine command theory, relativist approaches, virtue ethics, kants deontology, utilitarianism, bioethics and we watched gattaca, free will. Medical ethics is a sensible branch of moral philosophy and deals with conflicts in obligationsduties and their potential outcome. Mills whole theory is based on the idea of increasing overall happiness. This rather forbidding phrase simply means a kind of moral theory which emphasizes the intrinsic rightness of a.
The differing approaches of each are the ground for these oppositions, and kant s deontology and mill s utilitarianism are poster examples of opposing theories, kant s, of course, being concerned with motive, mill s with consequences, although nothing is that easy. Immanuel kants groundwork of the metaphysics of morals ranks alongside platos republic and aristotles nicomachean ethics as one of the most. Mill feared that the central problem of utilitarianism would become the. It is sometimes described as duty, obligation or rulebased ethics.
Utilitarianism deontology utilitarianism justice ethics vs. Deontology, using only quotations from the relevant philosophers. The categorical imperative is an example of whats called a deontological ethic. The essence of this is that it is a quatation debate meaning that we will debate the topic, in this case utilitarianism vs. John mills utilitarianism and immanuel kants fundamental principle of the. Mill, bentham, and kant utilitarianism and deontology. Utilitarianism also called consequentialism is a moral.
Immanuel kant was a german philosopher born in 1724 and died in 1804. Mills utilitarianism does not take into consideration the intention behind the action. Immanuel kant s ethics of pure duty and john stuart mill s utilitarian ethics of justice 2753 words 12 pages. Mill planned from the beginning a separate book publication, which came to light in. Jul 30, 2011 deontology is exactly the opposite of utilitarianism when it comes to the explanations of its concepts. For one thing, the criterion dispute includes a dispute about whether. Deontology vs utilitarianism the theory of deontology is derived from the writings of german philosopher immanuel kant 17241804. These principles are the good will, establishing morality by reasoning alone, categorical imperative, duty rather than inclination, and summary and illustration. The impossibility of maintaining such a qualitative distinction on purely hedonistic grounds is well shown by professor sidgwick, methods of ethics 4th ed. Care ethics justice ethics care ethics ights ethics conflict of ights ethical theories in nursing moral philosophy has moved from addressing platos question of what makes the good person, to kants query as to the right thing to do, to bubers concern with relationship. What are the similarities and differences between kants. Kant s deontology is based on rationalizing universal principles of behavior not an agents intentions, as some others have incorrectly stated.
So while i will not argue in this debate that john stuart mills utilitarianism is greater than kants deontology, i will point out that clearly utilitarianism has had greater influence on society as a whole. Immanuel kant was more important than john stuart mill in. Kants categorical imperative forms the basis of the deontological ethics. Both kant and mill would agree that goodness comes from hitting that subscribe button.
This expanded edition of john stuart mills utilitarianism includes the text of his 1868 speech to the british house of commons defending the use of capital punishment in cases of aggravated murder. If mill were to provide examples rather than trying to defend against objections, he would alleviate his shortcomings. In this paper, i will illustrate the arguments pertaining to john stuart mills teleological utilitarianism and immanuel kants deontological categorical imperative. Deontology is a dutybased ethical position, where ones actions are based on what is ethically correct, regardless of the. Kants view emphasizes the importance of rationality, consistency, impartiality, and respect for persons in the way we live our lives. The main difference between kantianism and utilitarianism is that kantianism is a deontological moral theory whereas utilitarianism is a teleological moral theory. Mill s principle of utilitarianism is defined as maximizing the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. In its turn, the utilitarianism states that proper course of action among all existing is the one that maximizes. According to kant, we should look at our maxims, or intentions, of the particular action. Difference between kantianism and utilitarianism compare.
May 08, 2012 deontology vs utilitarianism the theory of deontology is derived from the writings of german philosopher immanuel kant 17241804. John stuart mill and immanuel kant both find that morality is always encouraged by something, but the terms are different. For this reason, mill sees no need to differentiate between the utilitarian and the. Compare and contrast utilitarianism and deontology term paper. Two strands of thought exist in ethics regarding decisionmaking. Compare and contrast kants duty ethics with utilitarianism. This expanded edition of john stuart mills utilitarianism includes the text of his 1868 speech to the british house of commons defending the use of capital. Mill proposed the institution of rights to protect the minority from being tyrannized and to protect the majority from becoming tyrants an end inconsistent with the good as mill had defined it. Utilitarianism is considered a consequenceoriented philosophy.
Sources i can use for my paper comparing the differences. Phl utilitarianism and deontology flashcards quizlet. Utilitarians hold the moral agent responsible for outcomes that are neither. Utilitarianism is the principle that the correct form of action be taken to benefit the greatest number of people. The idea that certain acts are required, or ought to be done, can be found both in. Jan 06, 20 kantianism vs utilitarianism attitude towards what is right or wrong is what constitutes the basic difference between utilitarianism and kantianism.