Kant introduced the idea of deontological ethics. Deontology views morality based on its accordance to duties, accepted norms, and motives. From a deontological perspective, something is moral acceptable if you can justify your actions with a legitimate purpose or a principle of responsibility. Kant created what is known as the categorical imperative, which is known as his famous statement to these duties of deontology. Kant’s categorical imperative uses two principle formulations. These formulations are universal law and the formula of the end itself. The formula of universal law is the staple of Kant’s ethical theory. This is because this law is the method for determining morality of actions.
The philosophy of deontology states that in order to determine if something is morally correct, we must first rule out every consequence caused by the current action. This is because, in deontology consequences are irrelevant, as deontology mainly focuses on the motives of ones actions. This is because Kant believes that good will is the only matter of moral significance. The outcome is of no consequence and isn’t even considered an option when evaluating a situation. Things such as courage, knowledge and power can become bad if they are used with wrongful intentions. Topics that Kant discusses are lying and promise keeping. He believes that it is acceptable to not keep a promise, only if the promise was made with the intention and expectation of keeping it. As for lying, the categorical imperative states that lying is never permissible.
Kant believes that there is only one way to justify a particular action; examining the action and ignoring all other particular factors or conditions do this. These factors or conditions can include topics such as the circumstances under which it is performed and the identity of the person doing the action. The overall concept is