Deontology Vs Categorical Imperative

Deontology equates rightness (morality) or wrongness (amorality) of action with adherence to or contravention of a specific moral code as determined by society. Deontology draws inspiration from Immanuel Kant’s theory of Categorical Imperative. This Imperative, in short, states that one should only act on universal moral principles; that is, principles which are deontologically moral in action that ought to and can be applied to and practiced by everyone, everywhere, at all times in order to create the most good or happiness for the most people. One good thing about this theory, and Deontology as a whole, is that they promote the greatest good for as many people as possible as most people being happy is more favorable than only a few people being happy. …show more content…
Also, human beings are sentient organisms capable of a self-awareness that allows us to examine our thoughts and challenge them. The categorical and unwavering nature of deontology leaves little space to do this as the ambiguity of human feeling would provide a shaky foundation on which to base actions. In our society, murder is illegal only sometimes. If a person murders another person and is convicted, that person may in turn be murdered for their actions. On the same note, deontology is beneficial in that within the ideology evil or wrong or prohibited things are always evil, wrong, and prohibited. Deontology does give us the freedom, however, to do as we please as long as every prohibition is met with no bearing the perceived morality of a person. As long as we never do the things which are considered morally wrong, we can do as we