Deontological ethical systems are directives applied under rule-based ethics that emphasize the relationship between the molarity of people’s actions and the duties of every individual. The term deontology was extracted from another greek word, “deon,” meaning duty, and logos meaning “science.” The deontological ideology calls for individuals to consider doing good deeds and molary upright activities because the character of the action is the one considered, even though the outcome of the action might be otherwise. On the other hand, teleological ethics is an ideological system that views moral obligations from what is desirable as an end to what should be achieved. Teleological ethics are also called consequentialist ethics, also referred to as a utilitarianism system that justifies the end results no matter the ways used to achieve such outcomes. This system believes that the ends justify the means since actions taken to reach these results do not matter more than what is achieved. Therefore, this paper seeks to highlight, discuss and report on the differences between deontological and teleological ethics and which forms a better system of operations.
According to Joycelyn (2021), deontological ethics results are determined by the goodness or badness of the actions taken to reach this outcome. This ideology focuses more on the moral obligations of individuals since activities under this ideology follow the integrity of the character in question. Deontologists claim that an action’s consequences are based on the thoughts of the person involved in the activity. Therefore, if someone had good intentions, the results would probably be positive. Even if the results turned out to be otherwise, the individual would not be blamed because their intentions were right. When it comes to teleological ethics, there is a huge difference because the character in question does any activity as long as it results in the desired outcome (Pollock, 2021). One’s conduct is based on the results since one does not suffer adverse consequences, primarily when the engagement produces positive results.
Additionally, teleological or consequential theory offers a judgment based on the outcome and not the process of acquiring these results. It’s completely different from deontological theory because morals influence actions and outcomes. If the process is wrong or immoral, then the system assumes no good results can come from such an approach (Pollock, 2021). I highly agree with this system because one cannot justify a wrong action with the right outcome. In my opinion, when it comes to ethics, people should pay more attention to the process of acquiring the results instead of the results themselves. I prefer to live under a deontological system because I believe the procedure justifies the results. Supposing the process was not morally upright, the results will not be significantly right because the method used to get there was inappropriate.
In conclusion, I would not wish to live under the teleological ethic system because individuals under this system might break the law by claiming that the results are beneficial. This should not be allowed since it’s difficult to predict the consequences, primarily if the system used was not recommendable. However, when it comes to deontological ethics, the consequences can be expected, and in most cases, they are positive since the system applies objectivity and well-thought reasoning. If a process is verifiable and transparent, there is no need to worry about what will come out of the process because the intentions are morally upright.
References
Pollock, J. M. (2021). Ethical dilemmas and decisions in criminal justice. Cengage Learning.