forced into making assumptions . To put our most pejorative one first , let ’ s assume that Samantha is acting with such beneficence simply because she hopes to be a beneficiary in Margaret ’ s will . Would that , should that , make a difference to our judgement ? According to deontology , it should not . Kant ’ s maxim quoted earlier refers to acts , not intentions . And according to Consequentialism , if neither Margaret nor anyone else with an interest in the affair never finds that out , it doesn ’ t matter either .
And it is at least legitimate to ask if there is any particular reason why it should . After all , if one at least of your intentions in being the best practitioner you can is to make as much money as you can , should you be condemned as unethical by your colleagues who practise for more overtly noble reasons ?
While this may be logically correct , it does not sit well with the ethical thinking of many . We usually feel that people can and should be judged on the quality of their intentions , so that even if Samantha did not cause any harm to Margaret and even made her end-of-life situation as peaceful as possible , she deserves to be condemned for her reasons for doing so .
Conclusions
A critical point that this paper wishes to make is the importance of assumptions in making ethical judgements . If we must make assumptions , then it suggests that the statements found in the Codes are guidelines only , that they cannot be treated as ethical imperatives such as deontology calls for . At the same time , this does not mean the guidelines have no clear and important value . They call on us to behave with integrity , both personal and professional , so that if we do push the boundaries we only do so after careful and reasoned consideration of all aspects of our behaviour . In the end we must rely on our intentions , our best and most experienced guess as to outcomes , our views on what is morally and ethically necessary to live a life of ethical decency .
REFERENCES 1 . Guyer P . Kant and the Claims of Knowledge . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press ; 1987 .
2 . Kuehn M . Kant : A Biography . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press ; 2002 .
3 . Williams B . Morality . Cambridge University Press ; 1993 .
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