TOK ethics 3 - deontology

• TOK
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Make sure you have your TOK journal for notes. 

What do you think?

1. It was immoral.
2. They did the right thing.

What arguments do you have for your answer?

Harvard Online lecture 

We will watch from 33 to 53 minutes.

After I have some questions. 

Do we have certain fundamental rights?

1. Yes
2. No

Does a fair procedure justify the results?

1. Yes
2. No

If the boy had given his consent, would it then have been ok to kill him?

1. Yes
2. No

previous TOK lesson 

• Utilitarianism
• Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill 
• The greatest happiness for the greatest number  
• Maximize happiness 

Consequentialism/Utilitarianism	Deontology/ Categorical reasoning
Locates morality in the consequences of an act.	Locates morality in the act itself.
The right thing/moral thing to do depends on the consequences of your action.	The right thing/moral thing depends on certain duties and rights.

Deontology (Categorical Reasoning)

Emphasis on the act itself, instead of on the consequenses.

There are absolute principles of what is right and wrong.

We have duties and rights. Once recognized, duties are absolute, no matter what the situation. (Example: It is always wrong to kill.)

Something that is bad is according to a deontologist always bad, even it the outcome would be good.

Think about Amnesty International for human rights. 

00:57

According to Kant, ethics comes from....

1. God
2. Faith
3. Reason
4. Sense Perception

02:43

For Kant, a Christian, Muslim and Atheist would all have different morals because they have different beliefs.

1. True
2. False

04:49

According to Kant stealing is ALWAYS wrong.

1. True
2. False

06:16

According to Kant we should never violate the moral law, not even for a good cause.

1. True
2. False

07:32

What would Kant think of 'the universal declaration of human rights'?

1. Good idea
2. Bad idea

Do you think we should always treat people as ends in themselves?

1. Yes
2. No

Do you think some acts (lying, stealing, killing) are ALWAYS wrong?

1. Yes
2. No

Immanuel Kant

Deontology - Duty ethics 

Categorical moral reasoning

Categorial imperative 

Categorical Imperative

"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.“

Intrinsic worth and dignity. 

Never use people to achieve goals.

Name something you learned in TOK this week.

Which questions do you still have?

Homework 

No homework 😀