DEONTOLOGY & TELEOLOGY

DEONTOLOGY
• Deontological ethics or Deontology, in Philosophy, ethical theories that place
special emphasis on the relationship between duty and the morality of human
actions. The term deontology is derived from the Greek deon, “duty,” and logos,
“science.”
• In deontological ethics an action is considered morally good because of some
characteristic of the action itself, not because the product of the action is good.
• Deontological ethics holds that at least some acts are morally obligatory
regardless of their consequences for human welfare.
• The first great philosopher to define deontological principles was 
Immanuel Kant, the 18th-century German founder of critical philosophy. 
• Kant's deontology, sometimes called deontological ethics, starts by acknowledging
that actions and their outcomes are independent things.
• Basically, there are things you have to do, even though you know they are wrong,
such as shooting that intruder to protect your family.
• According to deontology, you need to focus on the act, such as protecting your
family, and not the likely death it will mean for the intruder. 
 Teleology
Teleology, (from Greek telos, “end,” and logos, “reason”), explanation by
reference to some purpose, end, goal, or function. Traditionally, it was also
described as final causality, in contrast with explanation solely in terms of
efficient causes
 EXAMPLES

A person who buys an airplane ticket, reads a book, or cultivates the earth
is trying to achieve a certain end. Objects and machines made by people
also are usually teleological: a knife is made for cutting, a clock is made
for telling time, a thermostat is made to regulate temperature.a knife and a
car exist and have particular configurations precisely in order to serve the
purposes of cutting and transportation. Similarly, the wings of birds came
about precisely because they permitted flying.
Inanimate objects and processes are not teleological

The configuration of a sodium chloride molecule (common salt) depends

on the structure of sodium and chlorine, but it makes no sense to say that
that structure is made up so as to serve a certain purpose, such as tasting
salty.
Similarly, the shape of a mountain is the result of certain geological
processes, but it did not come about so as to serve a certain purpose, such as
providing slopes suitable for skiing. The motion of the earth around the sun
results from the laws of gravity, but it does not exist in order that the seasons
may occur. We may use sodium chloride as food, a mountain for skiing, and
take advantage of the seasons, but the use that we make of these objects or
phenomena is not the reason why they came into existence or why they have
certain configurations
 DEONTOLOGY V/S TELEOLOGY

• End does not justify the • End always justify the

means means
• Duty based ethics • Result oriented ethics
• Golden rule • Golden rule
• Not to be selfish • Producing an agreeable
• Follows morally right result
values • Depends on past actions