While it’s possible to express consequentialism in a deontological-sounding form, I don’t think this would yield a central example of what people mean by deontological ethics — because part of what is meant by that is a contrast with consequentialism.
I take central deontology to entail something of the form, “There exist some moral duties that are independent of the consequences of the actions that they require or forbid.” Or, equivalently, “Some things can be morally required even if they do no benefit, and/or some things can be morally forbidden even if they do no harm.”
That is, deontology is not just a claim about how moral rules should be phrased or taught; it’s a claim about what kinds of moral facts can be true.
While it’s possible to express consequentialism in a deontological-sounding form, I don’t think this would yield a central example of what people mean by deontological ethics — because part of what is meant by that is a contrast with consequentialism.
I take central deontology to entail something of the form, “There exist some moral duties that are independent of the consequences of the actions that they require or forbid.” Or, equivalently, “Some things can be morally required even if they do no benefit, and/or some things can be morally forbidden even if they do no harm.”
That is, deontology is not just a claim about how moral rules should be phrased or taught; it’s a claim about what kinds of moral facts can be true.