A
Tale of Two Theories
Consequentialism is a theory of reasoning that indicates how people make decisions. It employs that
people are morally obligated to make a decision based on consequences. It assumes
that people naturally choose an outcome that will produce the best consequence.
However, when facing a moral decision, one must consider all those affected by
the decision before making it. According to Lafollette (2007), consequentialism
involves “considering the available actions, tracing the likely consequences of
each for all affected, and then selecting the one with the best overall
consequence”.
Deontology is
the theory of reasoning that helps us acquire and develop our moral beliefs. It
involves evaluating the morality of a decision based its adaptation to the
rules. It assumes that our moral obligations, whatever those may be, are
defined by rules but are partly independent from consequences. Meaning that are
decisions are based on guidelines but the consequences of our decision vary
depending on the situation. Lets evaluate, as a child you learned the importance
on not telling a lie; if you were caught telling a lie, there would be serious consequences.
Well the theory of deontology implies that in certain situations one must do
what is morally right even when the consequences are not in our favor. For
example, when your wife asks you “does this dress make me look fat”, as her
husband, you are morally obligated to tell her the truth, even if you know the
consequences will be negative. According to Lafollette (2007), deontologist
think rules or principles are important independently of consequences, they
disagree about which actions are right (or wrong) and just how right (or wrong)
they are.
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