deontological


de·on·tol·o·gy

D0139000 (dē′ŏn-tŏl′ə-jē) n. pl. de·on·tol·o·gies 1. Ethical or moral theory concerned with duties and rights. 2. The doctrine that ethical status of an action lies in its adherence to a set of rules.
[Greek deon, deont-, obligation, necessity (from neuter present participle of dein, to need, lack; see deu-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + -logy.]
de·on′to·log′i·cal (-tə-lŏj′ĭ-kəl) adj. de·on′to·log′i·cal·ly adv. de′on·tol′o·gist n.

deontological

(dɪˌɒntəˈlɒdʒɪkəl) adj (Logic) philosophy (of an ethical theory) regarding obligation as deriving from reason or as residing primarily in certain specific rules of conduct rather than in the maximization of some good