Deontological Theory

Course Coordinator
Prof. Ankita Bawane
Human Values For Professional Society
The term Deontology comes from the
Greek word 'Deon' meaning duty.
The theory of
deontology states
we are morally
obligated to act in
accordance with
certain set of
principles & rules
regardless of
outcome
Duty- based or Deontological Theory
1) Deontological (duty -based)
ethics are concerned with what
people do not with the
consequences of their actions.

I) Do the right things.

ii) Do it because it's the right things to do.
iii) Don't do wrong things.
iv) Avoid them because they are wrong.
Under this form of ethics
you cannot justify an
action by showing that it
produced good
consequences, which is
why it's sometimes called
' Non Consequentialist'
Duty - based ethics teaches
that some acts are right or
wrong because of the sorts of
things they are, and people
have a duty to act
accordingly, regardless of the
good or bad consequences
that may be produced.
Deontogists live in a universe of the moral
rules, such as:
I) it is wrong to kill innocent people.
II) it is wrong to tell lies.
III) it is right to keep promises
IV) it is wrong to steal.
Someone who follows Duty- based
ethics should do the right thing, even
if that produces more harm or less
good than doing the wrong thing.
If we compare Deontologist with
Consequentialists, we can see that
Consequentialists, begin by
considering what things are good &
identify rights actions as the ones that
produce the maximum of those good
things.
Thanks