In Normative Ethics the Deontological theories are those that maintain that ethical evaluations are rooted somehow in the action or some feature of the action which would result in a duty or obligation. In this approach the consequences of the action is not generally considered to be morally relevant.  Thus deontological theories often are based on or generate a set of duties. Deon is from the Greek and means a duty or obligation.

What is the source of such duty?  The various theories answer that question differently.  It could be a deity, natural law, reason, a sense of justice or one sense of self.  More of this in the materials in the next few chapters.

READ: http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~bfvaughan/text/lex/defs/deontological.html

READ:  From the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/d/duties.htm

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