Three Ways to Think About Right and Wrong

Personal & Social Development · Responsible Decision-Making · ages 13-14

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which framework judges an action mainly by the outcome it produces?
- Consequentialism
- Deontology
- Virtue ethics
Which framework judges an action mainly by whether it follows a rule or duty, no matter what happens?
- Consequentialism
- Deontology
- Virtue ethics
Virtue ethics judges an action by whether it reflects good character, like honesty or compassion.
Circle one: True False
A government raises taxes on wealthy citizens to fund healthcare for the poor. A consequentialist would support this mainly if
- it follows the duty to respect property rights
- it produces better overall welfare for society
- wealthy people show poor character by resisting
A student lies to protect a friend from trouble over a small, harmless mistake. A deontologist objects mainly because
- lying breaks a rule, even for a good reason
- the friend might get caught anyway
- honesty always feels better than lying
A teenager cuts her own plastic use even though it barely changes global pollution. Someone using virtue ethics would say this still matters because
- it proves the action changed the outcome
- it reflects the kind of person she is choosing to be
- it breaks a rule about pollution
A hospital has one ventilator for two patients. Someone argues, 'We should flip a coin, since that is what a deontologist would always do.' What is wrong with this reasoning?
- There is no error, since deontology always means deciding randomly
- The error is that deontology only applies to healthcare dilemmas
- Deontology is about following duties and rules, not about using random chance; a coin flip is only one possible rule, not the definition of the whole framework
Rosa breaks an unjust law to protest peacefully, knowing she will be arrested. Which pairing correctly matches how each framework would examine her choice?
- Consequentialist: whether the protest improves things overall; deontologist: whether breaking a law can ever be justified; virtue ethicist: whether the act reflects courage and integrity
- Consequentialist: whether she gets arrested; deontologist: whether the outcome is good; virtue ethicist: whether a rule was followed
- All three frameworks would judge her choice the exact same way

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

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Consequentialism · Consequentialism looks at results: did the action make things better or worse overall?
Deontology · Deontology focuses on the rule or duty itself, not on how things turn out.
True · Virtue ethics asks what the action reveals about the kind of person you are.
it produces better overall welfare for society · Consequentialists judge policies by their overall effect on welfare, not by rules or character.
lying breaks a rule, even for a good reason · A deontologist cares about whether the rule against lying was followed, not just how the situation turns out.
it reflects the kind of person she is choosing to be · Virtue ethics cares about character and habits, so the act matters even when its effect on the world is tiny.
Deontology is about following duties and rules, not about using random chance; a coin flip is only one possible rule, not the definition of the whole framework · Deontologists could pick many different rules for a case like this. A coin flip is just one option someone might defend, not a stand-in for deontology itself.
Consequentialist: whether the protest improves things overall; deontologist: whether breaking a law can ever be justified; virtue ethicist: whether the act reflects courage and integrity · Each framework keeps asking its own core question: outcomes, duties, or character, so they focus on different parts of the same choice.