Proportionalism
Encyclopedia : P : PR : PRO : Proportionalism
- redirect
Proportionalism is an ethical theory that lies between
teleological or
consequential theories and
deontological theories.
Teleological or
consequential theories, like
utilitarianism, say that an action is right or wrong, depending on the consequences it produces, whereas
deontological theories, like
The Categorical Imperative, say that actions are either intrinsically right or intrinsically wrong. Proportionalist theories like
rule utilitarianism, however, says that
it is never right to go against a principle unless there is a proportionate reason which would justify it (
Hoose 1987).
Proportionalist theory is crucial in Aquinas' understanding of a 'just war', because he uses it to justify breaking the normal rules of not killing or harming people.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.
