Back to TGE 1257 - Ethics in Applied Technology

Part 4.2: Ethical Excavations (Deontology)

Authors: Clayn D. Lambert
License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Topic Outcomes

By the end of Part 4, you should be able to:

  • Excavate existing deontological patterns in your personal reasoning

  • Analyze origins and development of your duty-focused thinking

  • Navigate tensions between deontological and other reasoning approaches

  • Apply archaeological analysis method to discover rather than learn framework concepts

  • Integrate deontological insights into your ongoing conflict map through citations and addenda

Topic Summary

Part 4: Deontology - Learning Outcomes

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Primary Learning Outcomes

Excavate Existing Deontological Patterns in Personal Reasoning

Students will identify where duty-based, rule-focused, and intention-centered thinking already appears in their ethical decision-making.

Evidence of Learning:

  • Recognizes existing focus on moral rules and obligations regardless of consequences

  • Identifies personal "moral non-negotiables" or inviolable principles

  • Discovers unconscious duty-based considerations in decision-making patterns

  • Maps where rule-based reasoning conflicts with outcome-focused approaches

Analyze Origins and Development of Deontological Thinking

Students will trace how their duty-focused reasoning patterns developed through personal experience and cultural influences.

Evidence of Learning:

  • Connects rule-based patterns to family stories, religious background, or formative experiences

  • Explains how focus on moral duties might have been shaped by personal history

  • Identifies sources of their approach to universal principles and categorical imperatives

  • Recognizes environmental or experiential factors that encouraged duty-based thinking

Navigate Tensions Between Deontological and Other Reasoning Patterns

Students will explore conflicts between rule-based thinking and consequence-focused, relationship-based, or intuitive approaches in their reasoning.

Evidence of Learning:

  • Identifies specific conflicts between following moral rules and achieving good outcomes

  • Explores tensions between universal principles and contextual considerations

  • Recognizes where deontological logic conflicts with utilitarian calculations or care-based heuristics

  • Analyzes situations where rigid rule-following feels insufficient or problematic

Apply Archaeological Analysis Method to Philosophical Framework

Students will use AI-guided excavation to discover rather than learn about deontological concepts, treating themselves as the primary source.

Evidence of Learning:

  • Maintains focus on personal reasoning patterns rather than theoretical knowledge

  • Uses AI to probe for hidden duty-based assumptions and categorical imperatives

  • Engages in genuine discovery of existing patterns rather than confirmation of framework

  • Demonstrates honest assessment of deontological presence (or absence) in their thinking

Integrate Deontological Analysis into Ongoing Conflict Map

Students will add deontological insights to their developing understanding of personal ethical complexity through citations and addendum creation.

Evidence of Learning:

  • Creates deontological addendum that identifies specific patterns and tensions

  • Adds citations to existing conflict map indicating rule-based reasoning

  • Updates understanding of ethical complexity based on deontological excavation

  • Builds cumulative analysis that integrates multiple philosophical perspectives

Topic Sources

Topic Authors

Clayn D. Lambert