deontology
internal sense of obligation or duty which is understood as morally binding on individual and all. It is often seen as contrasting with the external outcomes emphasis of consequentialist ethics, because the weight of its argument for what is right or wrong stands independently of what happens. Critics point out that individual self-righteousness may then come only at very expensive cost to others, or more colourfully: "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". (Immanual Kant and John Rawls are among the most influential deontologists.)
See also:
consequentialist, duty