The originator of deontology is ___________.

• A. Aristotle
• B. John Stuart Mill
• C. St Thomas Aquinas
• D. Immanuel Kant

Answer: (D)

Deontology is an ethical approach that evaluates actions based on duties and rules rather than on their outcomes. Immanuel Kant is considered the originator of deontological ethics in modern philosophy because he systematized morality around rational duty and universal maxims. He argued that moral actions must be guided by principles that can be universalized as a moral law, captured in the idea of the categorical imperative. This means an action is morally right if it could be willed as a universal law and if it treats rational beings as ends in themselves, not merely as means. In Kant’s view, the rightness of an action comes from the nature of the action and the motive of the agent, not from the consequences that follow.

Think of the other figures: Aristotle is linked to virtue ethics, which centers on character and flourishing; John Stuart Mill is associated with utilitarianism, which judges actions by their overall happiness or consequences; St. Thomas Aquinas integrates natural law and religious considerations. While they contributed important ideas about duty, virtue, or divine order, Kant’s approach established the formal, rule-based framework of deontology. That focus on duty and universal moral laws is why Kant is the best answer to who originated deontology.