Question

How would a kantian and a utilitarian respond to a woman who tells her dying father that she will not marry out of her religion, knowing she is lying and will in fact do exactly that?

Answer 1

For Kantian the ethics does not depend upon consequences but it is considered as a duty that should be carried in the same manner everywhere and everytime. So, Kantian:s would disagree to this lying and would respond by stating that woman should not promise her dying father what she cannot keep. They would ask her to say the truth to her father.

Utilitarians prefer pleasure over pain. For them those things that brings more pleasure to one's life than pain should be considered when evaluating a situation for ethics. So, they would support the woman in lying to her father, as they would not want her dying father to be in pain, and would want her father to die in peace which the woman would have intended while making the false promise to her father. Though the utlitarians is against lying but in this context they would favor the woman.