What is the difference between a deontological and a teleological theory of ethics?

'Deontology' is derived from the Greek word 'deon' meaning 'duty'. According to deontological theories, the morally right course of action is the one that fulfils our duties. The most famous deontological theory of ethics was outlined by Kant in his Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. He argued that certain actions are either right or wrong. For example, an action such as stealing would, according to this view, be considered morally wrong. Importantly, this action would be considered wrong regardless of its consequences. If, for example, a person stole in order to feed their starving child this action would still be considered morally wrong from a deontological perspective. This makes deontology a particularly strict moral view.Teleological theories of ethics, on the other hand, are those which view the consequences of an action as being morally significant. The most notable teleological theory is utilitarianism, whose strongest proponents were Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Bentham believed that the only evil was pain and that pleasure was the ultimate good. He designed a principle according to which one ought to strive for: "the greatest good for the greatest number". To understand how this principle might be applied, consider again the case of stealing to feed a starving child. Bentham would suggest that we weigh up the relative pains and pleasures to determine the right course of action. As the starving child would be suffering considerably, and may die if he doesn't eat, Bentham would permit stealing in this case. It is clear then that, whilst deontological and teleological theories of ethics are both concerned with determining the morally right course of action, they often approach moral dilemmas with remarkably different solutions.