As an expert in the field of moral philosophy, I can provide a comprehensive understanding of deontological ethics and its proponents. Deontology is a normative ethical theory that is fundamentally concerned with the nature of obligations and duties, and it asserts that the morality of an action should be based on whether that action adheres to a set of rules or not, rather than on the consequences it produces.

Immanuel Kant is perhaps the most prominent figure associated with deontological ethics. Kant's ethical theory, known as Kantian ethics, is grounded in the concept of the categorical imperative, which is a principle that Kant believed should guide all moral actions. The categorical imperative has several formulations, but the most well-known is: "Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." This means that an action is morally required if it can be rationally willed to be a universal law that everyone could follow.

Kant also emphasized the intrinsic worth of individuals, referring to this as dignity. He argued that human beings should never be treated merely as a means to an end, but always as ends in themselves. This idea is encapsulated in another formulation of the categorical imperative: "Treat humanity, whether in your own person or in another, always as an end and never as a means only."

Deontological ethics stands in contrast to consequentialism, which judges the morality of an action based on the goodness or badness of its consequences. Utilitarianism, for example, is a consequentialist theory that seeks to maximize overall happiness or pleasure.

Another contrast is with virtue ethics, which focuses on the character of the moral agent rather than on the actions themselves or their consequences. Virtue ethicists like Aristotle would argue that a person's virtues, or moral character traits, are what make actions right or wrong.

Deontological theories can be seen as absolute in the sense that they hold some actions to be inherently right or wrong, regardless of the consequences. For instance, Kant would argue that lying is always wrong, even if it leads to a good outcome, because it violates the duty of truthfulness.

However, it's important to note that not all deontological theories are as rigid as Kant's. Some deontological theorists allow for exceptions in cases where duties come into conflict. For example, if telling the truth would lead to significant harm, a more flexible deontologist might argue that lying could be permissible.

The deontological approach has been both praised for its clarity and rigor and criticized for being too inflexible and for not adequately accounting for the complexities of real-world moral decision-making. Despite these criticisms, deontological ethics remains a significant and influential theory in moral philosophy.

In conclusion, a deontologist is someone who subscribes to the ethical theory of deontology, which emphasizes duties, rules, and the inherent rightness or wrongness of actions, rather than the consequences of those actions or the virtues of the actor.

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Deontology (or Deontological Ethics) is an approach to Ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, as opposed to the rightness or wrongness of the consequences of those actions (Consequentialism) or to the character and habits of the actor (Virtue Ethics).read more >>