Immanuel Kant's theory of Formalism (also known as duty ethics or Deontology) postulates that ethical actions are based strictly on absolute, universal rules or duties, regardless of the consequences. According to Kant, an act is only good if it follows a principle that could be universally applied to everyone at all times (the Categorical Imperative). For example, "never lie" is a universal rule in Kantian ethics. The primary criticism and the point where conflict arises in Formalism is when rigidly following a universal principle causes obvious, preventable harm. If a murderer asks for the location of their intended victim, the universal rule "never lie" conflicts with the basic human intuition to protect life. Therefore, a strict Kantian would face a severe moral conflict because adhering strictly to the duty (telling the truth) directly results in catastrophic harm. This inflexibility in the face of competing duties or harmful outcomes is the central challenge when applying pure formalism to complex real-world engineering or societal dilemmas.