---
title: "Deontology Definition and Ethics Overview | Model Diplomat"
description: "Deontology is an ethical theory focusing on duty and rules, not consequences. It's key for civil service ethics and moral decision-making."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/deontology"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Deontology is a normative ethical theory holding that the moral worth of an action depends on its conformity to duty and universal rules, not on its consequences.
- How does deontology differ from consequentialism?
- What are the main formulations of Kant's Categorical Imperative?
- What are W. D. Ross's prima facie duties and why do they matter?
- Why is deontology relevant to civil-service ethics?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

Deontology is a normative ethical theory holding that the moral worth of an action depends on its conformity to duty and universal rules, not on its consequences.

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In 1785 Immanuel Kant argued in his Groundwork that lying to a friend is wrong even to save them harm, because the maxim of lying cannot be willed as a universal law without self-contradiction.

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