Year 8 - Religious education
Deontology and Immanuel Kant
Ethics: how do we know what is 'good'?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will use a philosophical lens to consider what we mean by good. They will examine various ethical answers given such deontology, utilitarianism and situation ethics. They will conclude by weighing up the issue of suffering in the world.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain a deontological outlook on ethical decision-making using the work of Immanuel Kant as an example.
Key Notes
- Deontology means we should act in ways that could be good rules for everyone, like always telling the truth.
- Deontology means intentions are more important than results; doing something because it's right is what counts.
- Deontology encourages us to think about what's right for everyone, not just what benefits us personally.
- Kant's deontology teaches that doing the right thing means following certain duties or rules, no matter the outcome.
- Kantian ethics can be criticised in a number of ways, e.g., it ignores acting on the basis of certain motives.
Vocabulary To Learn
- deontology: a way of thinking about ethics that focuses on following principles or duties to make good choices
- duty: something you should do because it's the right thing, like telling the truth or keeping a promise
- ethics: the study of right and wrong
- Immanuel Kant: an 18th-century philosopher who believed that doing the right thing means following important rules or principles, no matter what
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Kant's deontology means that actions such as killing are always wrong.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Deontology means we should act in ways that could be good rules for everyone, like always telling the truth. Deontology means intentions are more important than results; doing something because it's right is what counts.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'deontology'
a way of thinking about ethics that focuses on following principles or duties to make good choices.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Kant's deontology means that actions such as killing are always wrong. Correction: The categorical imperative doesn't mean the same in every situation because it takes the context into account, e.g., killing is generally wrong it can be justified where the intention is to protect life.
More Lessons In This Unit
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