Deontology Deontology is an ethical theory that uses
rules to distinguish right from wrong. It is often associated with philosopher
Immanuel Kant. Kant believed that ethical actions follow
universal moral laws, such as “Don’t lie. Don’t steal. Don’t cheat.” Deontology is simple to apply. It just requires that people follow the rules
and do their duty. This approach tends to fit well with our natural
intuition about what is or isn’t ethical. Unlike consequentialism, which judges actions
by their results, deontology doesn’t require weighing the
costs and benefits of a situation. This avoids subjectivity and uncertainty because
you only have to follow set rules. Despite its strengths, rigidly following deontology can produce results that many people find unacceptable. For example, suppose you’re a software engineer and learn that a nuclear missile is about
to launch that might start a war. You can hack the network and cancel the launch, but it’s against your professional code
of ethics to break into any software system without permission. And, it’s a form of lying and cheating. Deontology advises not to violate these rules. However, in letting the missile launch, thousands
of people will die. So, following the rules makes deontology easy
to apply. But it also means disregarding the possible
consequences of our actions when determining what is right and what is
wrong.