Bioethicists are not usually rewarded for simply maintaining a thesis at all costs but for finding the common ground. Philosophical reflection on the consensus-building processes required by particular questions has resulted in great strides being made concerning method. Below I sketch the major traditional ethical theories that have preoccupied philosophers for most of the history of ethics and then outline the best-known methods in bioethics. It is becoming apparent that these bioethical methods are converging on certain fundamental assumptions. Oxford University Press, 1995.
Deontological ethics are duty-based ethics.
The goal of ethics is thought to be the fulfillment of one's duties or the carrying out of obligations without regard to one's desires. Deontologists must then explain what one's obligations are. Consequentialists argue that actions are good or bad based upon their consequences. The best- known form of consequentialism is called utilitarianism, a position that claims we need to take the actions that generally lead to happiness or pleasure. Consequentialism is an empirical position since we only come to know the normal effects of actions through experience.