Final answer:
Kant's deontological ethics focuses on duty rather than consequences, with the categorical imperative as its core principle. This contrasts with consequentialism, which evaluates the morality of actions based on their outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Immanuel Kant's approach to ethics is known as deontological ethics, which focuses on adherence to duty or rules when judging the morality of an action. Kant's central concept within deontology is the categorical imperative, which is a moral law that individuals have a duty to follow, determined not by the consequences of actions but by rationality and the inherent moral structure of the universe.
Kant introduced two key formulations of the categorical imperative: the universal law formulation, which demands that one should only act according to maxims that could rationally be willed to become universal laws, and the humanity formulation, which requires that individuals treat humanity, whether in themselves or in others, never merely as a means to an end but always as an end in itself.
This approach is distinguished from consequentialism, which asserts that the moral value of an action is determined by its outcomes or consequences. Consequentialists, like utilitarians, assess actions based on whether they produce the greatest good for the greatest number. This outcome-focused method contrasts sharply with deontological ethics, where the morality of an action is judged independent of its results.