What is Deontology?

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Deontology (or deontological ethics) is one of the 3 major theories of normative ethics, along with virtue ethics and consequentialism. The word “deontology” comes from the Greek word δέον (deon), which means “duty.” Deontological ethics, therefore, is the theory that argues that the morality of a human action (i.e., its rightness or wrongness) depends on whether it fulfills a duty or not, rather than on virtue (as in the case of virtue ethics) or on its consequences (consequentialism).

For deontological ethics, some actions are right or wrong in themselves, regardless of their consequences; and it is our duty to do these right actions and avoid the wrong ones. For example, we have the obligation to tell the truth, even if doing so might have unfavorable results. In other words, for deontological ethics, telling the truth is always right in itself, regardless of its consequences; while telling a lie is always wrong—and it is our duty to always tell the truth and avoid telling lies.

An Example

To better understand what deontological ethics is, consider this example.

Suppose you were a doctor, and you have just discovered that your patient has stage 4 breast cancer.

However, you can't tell her the truth right away because you are aware that she also has a serious heart condition (doing so might just give her a heart attack, and possibly even kill her).

What should you do?

From the point of view of consequentialist ethics (take note, consequentialist ethics), lying to the patient and telling the truth to her loved ones instead is the best thing to do. By doing so you avoid the negative consequence of her having a heart attack or dying.

However, from the point of view of deontological ethics, telling the patient the truth is the right thing to do, even if doing so might result in her having a heart attack or dying.

In deontological ethics, therefore, we have to consider first which actions are right and wrong before making any moral decision. If an action is right in itself, then we have the moral duty to do it; while if an action is wrong in itself, then we have the moral duty to act accordingly.

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