Reading Response – Week 8 – Utilitarianism vs.

Deontology

Isn’t the design of a deontological framework tacitly utilitarian? The reason deontological

principles might be desired is because the consequences of society erring from such “side

constraints” are cumulatively negative. In other words, society experiences net positive utility by

adhering to them. A leader who determines a group’s rules must consider what is utility-

maximizing in the long run. If a society can admit murder into consideration, it may experience

more total deaths than in a world in which murder is illegal because of the numerous ways in

which people could justify killing.

Another question is whether it’s possible to make sound decisions under a purely

utilitarian framework because of the infinite positive or negative outcomes that could plausibly

happen in down the road. For example, one could argue for genocide because, although many

would suffer in the short term, it would stave off a Malthusian collapse (if his theory holds true)

that would cause net more suffering later. On the other hand, that genocide could ensure a

shortage of innovators who could make space colonization possible and avoid resource shortage

altogether. Deontological principles are necessary to guide what one would prioritize, consider,

or rule out in a utilitarian calculation.