We explain what deontology is in philosophy, its types and application examples. In addition, deontological codes and legal deontology.
What is deontology?
Deontology is a branch of ethics that studies duties and ethical behavior in professional practice.
As a philosophical discipline, deontology studies moral obligations, as well as the theory of normative ethics that determines which actions should be performed and which should not.
Deontology as a discipline of philosophical study is a branch of moral philosophy, while Professional deontology is a form of applied ethics (points to a specific real-world problem). However, both have a common approach based on the understanding of obligations and duties.
Many philosophers devoted themselves to deontological study, such as Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), Immanuel Kant (1724-1832), and William David Ross (1877-1971). Kant's work was particularly important in the development of the discipline, especially his text Foundation of the metaphysics of customs (1785).
The word “deontology” comes from the Greek terms deon (“obligation” or “duty”) and logos (“knowledge” or “study”). Deontology is the study of duty.
The English philosopher Jeremy Bentham used the term for the first time to name ethics and orient it to utilitarianism.
An ethical or deontological code is a set of moral norms and principles that govern the exercise of a specific profession.
See also: Professional ethics
Types of deontology
There are two different forms of deontology: applied deontology and prescriptive deontology.
- Applied deontology. It focuses on the practical application of ethics in everyday life. It determines what is right and wrong in a situation and is the basis for creating professional codes of ethics.
- Prescriptive deontology. It studies moral behavior and focuses on the norms or rules necessary to live peacefully. It is sometimes called theoretical deontology, since it does not judge specific problems.
Codes of ethics
Professional codes or deontological codes are documents in which the norms and values that regulate the exercise of a profession are expressed.
They explain what is necessary to carry out professional work, especially in areas and disciplines that involve third parties, that is, not only professionals. For example: medicine, psychology, law or journalism deal with people other than trained professionals.
These codes function as mechanisms through which a professional community regulates itself. They serve to control and supervise that the actions carried out by a registered professional are always in accordance with what is established, so as not to cause harm to the people who are supposed to be helping.
Legal ethics
Legal deontology is professional ethics applied to lawyers and professional servants of law and justice.
When justice agencies are considered corrupt or illegitimate, faith in them is lost. Consequently, they seek to proceed through other means, generally harmful to society as a whole.
Legal deontology ensures the ethical behavior of legal professionals when accusing or defending someone, but also takes care of the behavior of judges and other public servants of justice, responsible for maintaining the legal process with objectivity and transparency.
Practical examples of deontology
Some examples of the application of deontology in everyday life are:
- The training and regulation of the sanctions that must be applied in the event of a complaint for medical malpractice.
- The development of bioethics standards and codes to regulate scientific research in fields such as cloning or genetic engineering.
- The formulation of professional deontological codes.
References
- “Deontology (ethics)” at https://es.wikipedia.org/
- “Deontology (professional)” at https://es.wikipedia.org/
- “Deontology” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy. https://dle.rae.es/
- “Professional ethics, legal and basic principles of equality” (video) at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain). https://www.youtube.com/
- “Deontology” (video) at McCombs Business School. https://www.youtube.com/
