Question

1. Compare and contrast an ethical system based on evaluating the utility of one’s actions (utilitarianism) versus an ethical system based on respect for persons (one’s duty to others in consideration of their rational nature; deontology).

2. Describe a situation in which ethical analyses using these systems lead to conflicting conclusions and describe your method of achieving a meaningful resolution.

Answer 1

Utilitarianism	Deontology
Action is right or wrong is if it is useful or beneficial to the majority of people	Focus on duty, obligations and good will
Focuses only on the result even if it may harm an innocent individual	Deals with intention and motives
Believe only consequence of an act is important	Concerned if the action is naturally right or wrong
Society centered	Individual centered

Simple Situation:

May and Arthur have been married for 5 years they have been trying to get pregnant from that time. One day they went to the doctor to have a down syndrome screen test and the result is that the baby most probably will have the disease once it is born.

Act utilitarianism says that a person should act in such a way to produce the greatest balance of good over evil. In this case not having the baby could be considered good for several reasons. One, not having the baby will free the couple from the lifetime burden. Lets be honest having a child with special needs is a very tough job. Majority of societies perception on this matter is that having abortion is the right thing to do, they are not killing a complete form or human being yet it is still a fetus at a very early stage. While on the deontologist point of view, killing is immoral a fetus is a live being. It is the parents responsibility to face the consequences because it is their child and their flesh and blood.