Kantian ethics is the deontological view where right actions do not depend on the outcomes Immanuel Kant 1724 1804 was a German philosopher known for his deontological ethical theory The core of being a person is following a set of rules that are rational and applicable to everyone evolved Kant believed that for one to do the right action they must do it out of motivation to follow duty alone an action is right only if it conforms to such a rule people are morally praiseworthy if they perform for duty s sake alone All duties can be expressed in the form of 1 Categorical imperatives rules that apply to everything in the category without exception 2 Hypothetical imperatives commands that tells one how to achieve a particular aim Moral laws are categorical imperatives Kant thought there was 1 universal principle that any one person could derive through rational reflection Ways to formulate the universal rule 1 Formulation of the universal law name the action and give it reasons and will others to do the same thing for it to become permissible 2 Formulation of humanity people are the source of the moral law so all people should be treated as if they have moral worth A persons inherent worth comes from their autonomy Rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by the categorical imperative Principlism is the view that there has to be more than one simple rule one single moral duty Principles are prima facie principles that will generally apply but when they come into conflict one principle will carry more weight in that situation principles reflect apparent duties W D Ross advocated for the following 7 principles 1 Telling the truth 2 Keeping promises 3 Distributing benefits and burdens fairly 4 Benefiting others 5 Refraining from harming others 6 Making amends for causing injuries 7 Repaying services done 4 prima facie principles 1 Respect for autonomy autonomy 2 Promote happiness beneficence 3 Refrain from harming others non malfeasance 4 Distribute benefits and burdens fairly justice Tom Beaucamp and James Childress developed the principles that are commonly used in bioethics today