Editing Ethics (section)

==== Agent-centered and patient-centered ====
Agent-centered deontological theories focus on the [[moral agency|person who acts]] and the [[Duty|duties]] they have. Agent-centered theories often focus on the motives and intentions behind people's actions, highlighting the importance of acting for the right reasons. They tend to be agent-relative, meaning that the reasons for which people should act depend on personal circumstances. For example, a parent has a special obligation to their child, while a stranger does not have this kind of obligation toward a child they do not know. Patient-centered theories, by contrast, focus on the people affected by actions and the rights they have. An example is the requirement to treat other people as ends and not merely as a means to an end.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Alexander|Moore|2021|loc=§ 2. Deontological Theories}} | {{harvnb|Hale|2017|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CQNLDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA216 216]}} | {{harvnb|Kumm|Walen|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DXs9AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA81 81]}} }}</ref> This requirement can be used to argue, for example, that it is wrong to kill a person against their will even if this act would save the lives of several others. Patient-centered deontological theories are usually agent-neutral, meaning that they apply equally to everyone in a situation, regardless of their specific role or position.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexander|Moore|2021|loc=§ 2. Deontological Theories}}</ref>