COMM 2273 Lecture Notes - Lecture 61: Deontological Ethics

• School: University of Arkansas-Monticello
• Department: Communication
• Course: COMM 2273
• Professor: Key

Document Summary

There are competing obligations that cause paralysis and undermine deontology: inaction is not morally blameworthy. We are not intending to harm, so we don"t violate the side- constraint: the statistical likelihood of a violation is irrelevant; we care about our status as dignified human beings. Answers to- you can"t ascertain intent: of course we can ascertain intent because we need to be able to set minimum standards for intent, such as the legal justice system. Answers to- there is no distinction between positive and negative rights, so we must weigh all these things equally and look to their consequences. : even if there is no distinction, some rights are still more important. Answers to- there is no morally relevant distinction between acts and omissions because inaction is a deliberate choice: the decision to act or not act is not causally responsible for what happened.