Intro to Kant's Deontology
Kantian Ethics, also known as Kantian Deontology, is based on the conclusion that to be ethical persons, people must fulfill their moral duties. He argued that the laws of logic are universal; the concepts of right and wrong were logical, and--to prevent the fallacy of inconsistency--ethics must be consistent and logical. People, as rational beings, could use logic and reason to understand ethics. Ethics takes the form of moral duties and goodwill--the intention of doing good for the sake of goodness. To find these moral duties, Kant gives many principles and guidelines, or the Categorical Imperative. Two of them are Universality and Respect for Persons, or the Humanity Principle. Universality requires considering the action as a rule that everyone will follow. “Would I want everyone to do X?” The self cannot be an exception. If yes, the action passes to the Humanity Principle which focuses on preventing exploitation--ignoring other’s needs and goals and using them for your gain. Once an action has passed both hurdles--the action is something everyone should do and it respects people's dignity--then it must be carried with goodwill. Kant’s theory rejects both egoism and reliance on authority as moral guides, so a moral duty cannot be carried out for selfish reasons or fear of punishment.