Deontology (Kantian Ethics)
Some acts are wrong regardless of outcome; the usable test is whether you are treating a person as an end or merely as a means, and whether you could will your rule to be universal.
An everyday example
Refusing to use a dark pattern even though A/B tests show it lifts revenue and no one complains.
What it can cost you
Rigidity when consequences are catastrophic; or abandoning rules the moment the numbers are tempting.
Warning signs
- The case for it is entirely numeric.
- I would not want this done to me.
One thing to do
Write your bright lines in advance, when there is no temptation; when a proposal treats people as instruments, that is the line.
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