The primary distinction between teleological and deontological ethics is that teleological ethics evaluates the morality of an action by looking at its consequences, while deontological ethics assesses the morality of the action by examining the action itself. Teleological and deontological ethics are two opposing ethical theories that determine the moral goodness or badness of an action. The teleological perspective is a consequence-based view introduced by Jeremy Bentham, while the deontological view is a rule-based view introduced by Immanuel Kant.
Key Takeaways
- Teleological ethics, a consequentialist theory, focuses on the outcomes of actions to determine their morality.
- Deontological ethics, a non-consequentialist theory, assesses the morality of actions based on the actions themselves, rather than their consequences.
- Both approaches to ethics have their weaknesses, with teleological ethics struggling to predict the consequences of actions accurately, and deontological ethics being too rigid and inflexible.
What Does Teleological Ethics Mean?
Teleological ethics is a theory according to which the rightness of an act is determined by its outcome. In fact, the word teleological comes from Greek telos, meaning end or goal, and logos meaning science. Thus, teleological theories focus on the consequences of actions; in other words, this theorizes that our actions being morally right or wrong depends on the good or evil generated. Thus, a teleologist would attempt to comprehend the purpose of something by examining its results. He will deem an act good if it produces good results and another action bad if it produces bad results.
Moreover, this is a consequential theory as a moral right or moral wrong is dependent on the outcome of an action. Thus, in teleological ethics, consequences drive the moral decision. For example, most people believe that lying is wrong, but if telling a lie would do no harm and help to make a person happy or save someone, this action would be right in teleological ethics. However, it is not always easy to determine the possible outcomes or consequences of our actions. Hence, this is a weakness of teleology.
What Does Deontological Ethics Mean?
Deontological is an approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, instead of examining its consequences or any other considerations. Thus, this is a non-consequential theory as the decision of whether an act is good or bad does not depend on its consequence. Here, action drives the moral decision.
Figure 02: Immanuel Kant
We often associate deontology with philosopher Immanuel Kant, who was of the view that ethical actions follow universal moral laws, such as don’t cheat, don’t steal and don’t lie. Hence, deontology requires people to follow the rules and do their duty. Also, this theory avoids subjectivity and uncertainty. For example, suppose your friend has given you a gift, but you hate this gift. She or he wants to know whether you like this. If you believe that lying is always bad no matter the consequences, you would tell the truth, i.e., that you hate it, even if the outcome of your action bad (in this case, hurting your friend). Here, you are demonstrating a deontological position. Thus, deontology means disregarding the possible outcomes of your actions when determining what is right and what is wrong.
What is the Difference Between Teleological and Deontological Ethics?
Teleological is an approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions by examining its consequences while deontological is an approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, instead of examining any other considerations. Therefore, this is the key difference between teleological and deontological ethics. Thus, teleological ethics is a consequentialist theory while deontological ethics is a non- consequentialist theory. However, it is not always possible to predict the consequences of an action; this is a weakness of the teleological approach. Moreover, the deontological approach also has the disadvantage of being too rigid.
Below infographic summarizes the difference between teleological and deontological ethics.
Summary – Teleological vs Deontological Ethics
Teleological and deontological ethics are two opposing ethical theories that determine the moral goodness or badness of an action. Teleological ethics determines the goodness or badness of an action by examining its consequences whereas deontological ethics determines the goodness or badness of the action by examining the action itself. Thus, this is the key difference between teleological and deontological ethics.
Reference:
1.“Deontology.” Ethics Unwrapped. Available here
2. ACCA. Ethical Theories Kept Simple!, YouTube, 11 Sept. 2014. Available here
Image Courtesy:1.”1123013″ by Ramdlon (CC0) via pixabay
2.”Immanuel Kant (painted portrait)”By Unidentified painter (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
