Non Consequentialist theory is a form of normative ethical theory that refutes that determination of rightness or wrongness of one’s behavior entirely depends on the badness or goodness of the results of one’s rules or acts to which the conducts follow. However, the theory does not disagree that consequences are a determining factor of an act’s rightness but insists that when the results of two act-types or actions are similar, one is wrong and the other one right. Therefore, non-consequentialism contradicts that both rule and act consequentialism, which hold the right system or act of rules, balance good results over bad ones (Gustafson, 2018). There are two types of non-consequentialist theories; ethics of rights and justice and ethics of duties, and the theory making sense is ethics of duties (Gustafson, 2018). This essay analyses how the ethics of duties theory distinguishes right from wrong.
According to the ethics of duty, many people believe that everybody has obligations to the other. Tasks are either positive or negative such as the duty to care for one’s child and refrain from murdering another person respectively (Gustafson, 2018). According to the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, instead of depending on religions to explain individual duties, he believes in the power of reason dependence to elaborate on responsibilities. Kant’s theory discusses categorical imperatives, suggesting that some decisions and actions originate from personal desires. For instance, one’s obligation to look after their parents is a duty and not when one wishes to live in a beautiful house because they will have to work hard. Categorical imperative also discusses treating people as an end and not a means to an end, hence encouraging treating people with respect (Liao & Barry, 2020). A such, handling one as a means to an end entails using them as an instrument to achieve something different.
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In conclusion, the ideology of duty applies in secular terms arguments and a religious perspective. For instance, according to Christian scriptures, the urging ‘do to others what you expect them to do to you’ has its counterparts in various religious beliefs (Liao & Barry, 2020). Therefore, both religious and secular duty notions offer many duties like keeping promises, compensating others after harming them, avoiding injuries to others, improving other’s living standards, and upholding justice. Occasionally, tasks closely connect to the notion of rights since when one has a right, it means that others are obligated to respect the right (Liao & Barry, 2020). Additionally, the ethics of duty concept discourages the mistreatment of the minority by the majority in society and advocates for equality and fairness.
References
Gustafson, A. (2018). Consequentialism and non-consequentialism. The Routledge Companion to Business Ethics , 79-95.
Liao, S. M., & Barry, C. (2020). A critique of some recent victim-centered theories of non-consequentialism. Law and Philosophy , 1-24.
