Transcript The position and role of deontology in postmodern society

Valeriu Capcelea,
PhD in Phylosofy, Associated Professor,
Republic of Moldova
Balti State University „Alecu Russo”,
[email protected]
What is the “Deontology”
 Deontology presents a sum of behavioral rules for a
particular social group that ensures the moral character of
determined interactions associated with the professional
activity, and on the other, a scientific discipline which
investigates the specifics of moral demonstrations in
various areas of activities.
The Professional Deontology relates to:
 Ethical reflection applied to a particular area of human
activity which allows a deepear assessment of concrete
problems of a certain profession that is presented in
the form of specific rules, formulated based on special
investigations and substantiations;
 A complex of ethical rules, produced by a group of
professionsls and especially aimed at guiding their
professional practice.
The difference between “Professional
Deontology” and “Professional Ethics”
Professional Deontology
Professional Ethics
Is aimed at developing of strickt norms
Is aimed at implementing the „good” and
similar to legal norms
the desire
It is formalized and presented in Special
It is not included in Codes and represents
Codes
the individum’s constietness
The Codes are approved by certain group Do not relate to specific professional
of professionals (health specialists;
groups
teachers, attorneys, etc)
It is located in between the morality and
the law
Represents a part of applied etichs
The “duty” as a fundamental notion of
Ethics and Professional Deontology
 This is one of most important notion in ethics and
especially in professional deontology;
 Can be interpreted as a „social necessity” which is
represented
by moral requirements
faced by an
individum;
 By fulfilling the social responsibility requirements an
individuum is transfroming himself in an exponent of
certain moral duties in the society, conceptualizing and
fulfilling them in his professional activity, as well as
applying them in his day-to day activities, demonstrating a
full and creative commitment, taking all risks and having,
sentimentally, a personal sacrifice.
Shortcomings of Deontological
Codes in postmodern society (1)
 Replace the authonomous moral responsibility with
the heteronomic etichs duty;
 Too high level of generalization which leads to
uniformization of moral individualities that may have
a negativ impact on the human being moral
development.
Shortcomings of Deontological
Codes in postmodern society (2)
 The Codes start from the idea that a human is incapable
and that when he/she has freedom he/she should comply
voluntarily with proper rules. In this context, the human
should be assisted by developing and approving relevant
legal acts that would enforce him/her to comply with;
 The ethics merges with the law, both being coercible, but
they should not be confused as they have different scopes.
 The morality cannot be universalized as it is in the case of
law, which means that the morality doesn’t strictly belong
to rationality, as this abolishes the moral uniformization.
Shortcomings of Deontological
Codes in postmodern society (3)
 The existing Deontological Codes lack delimitation of
the area of deontology research as a science or has a
false determination of such that presents that is
presented as eclectic in nature.
 This happens due to fact that the professional groups
that are developing the Codes perceive the need for
integrating the morality while designing the legal acts,
mostly through an intuitive moral platform rather
than through a moral basis which is well studied and
explained by the science of ethics.
Concluding remarks
In the postmodern society there is a clear tendency of developing for
most of professions specific Deontological Codes, which may have a
positive impact on Social Development, although this became a fassion
and a goal in itself and can generate also some adverse phenomenons:
 The professional acts are viewed mostly from the point of general
human rights, through how these rights are imposed to the public;
 The strict requirements that exist in the ethichs and the morality are
much more supposed than clearly formulated in the Deontological
Codes;
 It is necessary to prepare new/revise the existing Deontological Codes
taking into account the moral principles in a way the people would fill
the need to adjusting their professional activities to moral
reqirements and not to heteronomic ethics duties.