Conclusion
In almost every introductory ethics course the student is taught that there are two basic kinds of moral theories: teleological and deontological. If the conclusions of this paper are correct, this practice must stop. As a minimum, discussion of “the” teleological/deontological distinction should be replaced by discussions of the axiological/deontological distinction. In addition, the student should be introduced to various of the other fundamental classificatory distinctions. This, I believe, will result in more penetrating theory criticism, and more creative theory construction. The hegemony of “the” teleological/deontological distinction must end.Footnote 1
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Notes
This paper is a condensed version of Chapter 2 of my dissertation “The Teleological Deontological Distinction” (University of Pittsburgh, 1984). I am indebted to Kurt Baler, David Gauthier, Don Hubin, Shelly Kagan, Geoff Sayre McCord, and Nicolas Rescher for critical comments made on an earlier version of this paper.
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Vallentyne, P. The teleological/deontological distinction. J Value Inquiry 21, 21–32 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00135526
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00135526