Which statement best reflects duty-based ethics?

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Duty-based ethics, or deontological ethics, judges actions by adherence to universal duties and rules rather than by their consequences. It holds that certain moral obligations—such as telling the truth or keeping promises—are binding for everyone in all situations, regardless of what outcomes they might produce.

This emphasis on universal duties and rules is what makes the statement reflect duty-based ethics. It aligns with the idea that morality rests on intrinsic obligations and norms that apply universally, not on the results that actions might bring.

The other ideas point to different ethical approaches: evaluating actions by outcomes is characteristic of consequentialist or utilitarian ethics; claiming that truth-telling is always wrong contradicts the deontological view that truth-telling is a fundamental duty; focusing only on societal welfare aligns with utilitarian or welfare-based reasoning rather than duties and universal rules.