Which statement about deontology is true?

Which statement about deontology is true?

• A. Morality is determined by outcomes
• B. Morality is anchored in duties and rules
• C. Morality is relative
• D. Morality is decided by social contracts

Answer: (B)

Deontology grounds morality in duties and rules, not in consequences. Actions are right if they follow our obligations or universal rules we've rationally endorsed, regardless of the outcome. That means telling the truth or keeping promises is right even if lying or breaking a promise could yield a better result in a specific situation. The morality of an act is judged by its conformity to duty, not by the good it might produce. Kant’s idea of respecting persons as ends in themselves and acting on maxims you could will as universal laws illustrates this emphasis on universal duty. This is why the statement about duties and rules is the true characterization of deontology. The other perspectives—judging morality by outcomes (consequentialism), by relative norms (moral relativism), or by social contracts (contractarian ethics)—describe different theories, not deontology.

Deontology grounds morality in duties and rules, not in consequences. Actions are right if they follow our obligations or universal rules we've rationally endorsed, regardless of the outcome. That means telling the truth or keeping promises is right even if lying or breaking a promise could yield a better result in a specific situation. The morality of an act is judged by its conformity to duty, not by the good it might produce. Kant’s idea of respecting persons as ends in themselves and acting on maxims you could will as universal laws illustrates this emphasis on universal duty. This is why the statement about duties and rules is the true characterization of deontology. The other perspectives—judging morality by outcomes (consequentialism), by relative norms (moral relativism), or by social contracts (contractarian ethics)—describe different theories, not deontology.