Compare and Contrast deontological & teleological ethical systems.?

Question

Can you give examples and descriptions of the seven major ethical systems and determine whether you believe each system to be deontological or teleological.

Answer 1

Deontological:
Deontological moral systems are characterized primarily by a focus upon adherence to independent moral rules or duties. Thus, in order to make the correct moral choices, we simply have to understand what our moral duties are and what correct rules exist which regulate those duties. When we follow our duty, we are behaving morally. When we fail to follow our duty, we are behaving immorally.

Deontological moral systems also place some stress on the reasons why certain actions are performed. Thus, simply following the correct moral rules is often not sufficient - instead, we have to have the correct motivations. This would allow a person to not be considered immoral even though they have broken a moral rule, but only so long as they were motivated to adhere to some correct moral duty.

Nevertheless, it is important to understand that in deontological moral systems, a correct motivation alone is never a justification for an action and cannot be used as a basis for describing an action as morally correct. It is also not enough to simply believe that something is the correct duty to follow. Duties and obligations must be determined objectively and absolutely, not subjectively.

Perhaps the most significant thing to understand about deontological moral systems is that their moral principles are completely separated from any consequences which following those principles might have. Thus, if you have a moral duty not to lie, then lying is always wrong - even if that results in harm to others. For example, you would be acting immorally if you lied to Nazis about where Jews were hiding.

The word deontology comes from the Greek roots deon, which means duty, and logos, which means science. Thus, deontology is the "science of duty." Key questions which deontological ethical systems ask include:

What is my moral duty?
What are my moral obligations?
How do I weigh one moral duty against another?

Teleological
Teleological moral systems are characterized primarily by a focus on the consequences which any action might have (for that reason, they are often referred to as consequentalist moral systems, and both terms are used here). Thus, in order to make correct moral choices, we have to have some understanding of what will result from our choices. When we make choices which result in the correct consequences, then we are acting morally; when we make choices which result in the incorrect consequences, then we are acting immorally.

The idea that the moral worth of an action is determined by the consequences of that action is often labeled consequentialism. Usually, the "correct consequences" are those which are most beneficial to humanity - they may promote human happiness, human pleasure, human satisfaction, human survival or simply the general welfare of all humans. Whatever the consequences are, it is believed that those consequences are intrinsically good and valuable, and that is why actions which lead to those consequences are moral while actions which lead away from them are immoral.

The various teleological moral systems differ not only on exactly what the "correct consequences" are, but also on how people balance the various possible consequences. After all, few choices are unequivocally positive, and this means it is necessary to figure out how to arrive at the correct balance of good and bad in what we do. Note that merely being concerned with the consequences of an action does not make a person a consequentialist - the key factor is, rather, basing the morality of that action on the consequences instead of on something else.

The word teleology comes from the Greek roots telos, which means end, and logos, which means science. Thus, teleology is the "science of ends." Key questions which teleological ethical systems ask include:

What will be the consequences of this action?
What will be the consequences of inaction?
How do I weigh the harm against the benefits of this action?

;-D Sorry, I just copied and pasted.

Answer 2

Deontological Vs Teleological

Answer 3

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RE:
Compare and Contrast deontological & teleological ethical systems.?
Can you give examples and descriptions of the seven major ethical systems and determine whether you believe each system to be deontological or teleological.

Answer 4

Thats a theological argument, not a political one! Go ask a priest!