Kantian Ethics: An Example Of A Deontological Ethical Theory

In recent news, Volkswagen cheated on their emissions testings by programing their cars to recognize that it was being tested and modified their engine performance to meet the emissions standards. The company was would criminally liable and had to pay a hefty fine and they were forced to make offers to Volkswagen owners to sell back their cars. Some could argue that Volkswagen only acted illegally and not immorally as well. In the paper, I will be arguing that Volkswagen acted illegally and immorally based on Kantian ethics. Kantian ethics is an example of a deontological moral theory. Deontological is an ethical theory that uses rules to differentiate right from wrong. What’s right or wrong of an action is not based on its consequences but
They both got drunk and both decided to drive home impaired even though they knew that they shouldn’t. According to Kant, duty is the necessity to act out of respect for the law. Kant believed that the rules were a universal of “Don’t lie. Don’t steal. Don’t cheat”. He also believed that there was a superior prince of morality and it was The Categorical Imperative. CI is what provided us a way to evaluate our moral actions and to make moral judgements accordingly. Since Volkswagen knowingly programmed turbocharged direct injection diesel engines tp their cars to activate emissions controls during lab testing to meet the emissions standards even though they didn’t, they went against their better judgment and that is why I would argue that not only did they act illegally but also immorally. They knew that they shouldn’t have lied or cheated and should have fulfilled their duties as a company to put out cars that weren’t up to standards but because they were underproducing they thought it was ok to lie and put out millions and millions of cars that were not up to
Instead, they wasted time programming their cars to pass the emissions tests and sold them to the public. They hid their problems and acted in a way that only benefitted themselves. Their only motivation was money and they were blindsided by their own greed. Volkswagen knowingly put out roughly 11 million cars world wide that emitted up to 40 times than the legal limit. They had no care for the consumers and especially for the environment. We have regulations for a reason, and they went ahead and disregarded it for their greedy selves. They were contributing to higher levels of pollution thus breaking the law. That’s where they are convicted of committing an illegally crime. Since they knew what they were doing is considered a crime but did it anyways, this is where they are morally