Rorschach is a deontologist. Deontology says that we should not think of morality in terms of ends and means at all. The outcome doesn’t matter, what matters is doing the right thing. He lives by a strict code of ethics and strives for a world where others do the same.
“I will not compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon”
Rorschach favorite maxim, is an echo of the deontologist’s slogan, “Let justice be done, though the heaven may fall”. Deontology goes beyond saying that the ends justify the means. It actually says that at least in moral decisions, you shouldn’t think in terms of ends and means, or consequences, at all. Once you start thinking about means and ends, you’ve left the realm of morality altogether, because you’re only thinking about how to get something you want, either for yourself or someone else. According to Immanuel Kant, morality begins with the good will. Anything else you might value in life; intelligence, strength, even happiness itself, can be used for evil. The only thing good, really, is the will to do good, the mental act that says, “I am going to do the right thing.”