Ethics and Duty?

:
Kant, Categorical
Imperative
Topic Introduction
WEEK 3, LECTURE 1,
FIL 251
Duty?
Where does it come from?
Who/what determines your duty?
Duty to whom?
Yourself?
Your culture?
Your family?
Your friends?
Your “fellow man”
Introducing Deontological Ethics:
 The word 'deontology' derives from a combination of two Greek words; 'deon'
which means 'duty' and 'logos' (English adaptation - 'logy') which means 'study' or
'science'.

 Simply construed, deontology may be defined as the science of duty or the study of
the nature of duty.
 Ethics that grounds morality on 'acting from duty'.
Forms of Deontological Theories
1 . Agent-Centered Deontological Theories :
 According to this form of deontological theories which is built around an objective reason for moral actions, it states that “we
each have both permissions and obligations that give us agent-relative reasons for action” (Alexander & Moore 2020, SEP).

 ‘Agent-relative’ reason broadly construed here implies that the obligation to act – or not act – must be motivated by the agent’s
justification—without any external support for such justifications.
 Example, a parent’s obligation to protect and put their child first.

 Agent-centered theories are primarily duty-based theories.

 At the heart of agent-centered deontological theories is the idea of unfettered human agency, which grounds morality on
personal foundations and agent-relative principles.
2. Patient-Centered Deontological
Theories:
 According to patient-centered deontological theories, it is morally wrong to use another’s body, labor, and talent as a means for
producing good consequences without their consent.
At the center of PCDT is the patient/victim’s rights; ‘the right against being used by another for the user’s or other’s benefit’.
Examples, The Fat Man in runaway trolley case, and Transplant. Also, quite instructive is the Military Service in wars for ‘good’ political consequences.

“If an act is otherwise morally justifiable by virtue of its balance of good and bad consequences, and the good consequences are
achieved without the necessity of using anyone’s body, labor, or talents without that person’s consent as the means by which they
are achieved, then it is morally immaterial whether someone undertakes that act with the intention to achieve its bad
consequences” (Alexander & Moore 2020, SEP).

 Major distinction: PCDT are primarily rights-based as opposed to ACDT which are primarily duty-based.

 Contractualist Deontological Theories: Can be more or less subsumed under PCDT / still needs development.
What are your thoughts? Questions?
Possible Solution
Kant: Duty comes from the capacity for
reason
Reason is a priori- Inherent, not
dependent on external observation or
experience.
Intruder Example
Fin (Next Time:
Kant and the
Categorical
Imperatives)