"The consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for judgement about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct."
The moral theory that the consequences of an action determine its moral value.
Ethical theories: Consequentialism is a type of ethical theory, and it's essential to understand what ethical theories are and how they differ from one another.
The Trolley Problem: This classic thought experiment involves a trolley heading down the tracks, and the participant must decide whether to divert it onto a track with one person or keep it on course, hitting five people.
Utilitarianism: This is a consequentialist ethical theory that suggests the best action is one that maximizes overall happiness or pleasure.
Hedonism: This is the belief that pleasure is the ultimate good, and maximizing pleasure is the ultimate goal.
Kantian ethics: This deontological ethical theory focuses on duty and moral rights and wrongs, regardless of the consequences.
Virtue ethics: This ethical theory places emphasis on character and moral virtues, rather than adherence to rules or the pursuit of consequences.
Moral dilemmas: These are situations where there is a difficult choice to be made between two or more morally right or wrong alternatives.
Consequentialist decision-making: This refers to the process of making decisions based on their predicted outcomes and the potential consequences of each choice.
Ethical consistency: This refers to the idea that ethical principles should be consistent and applied equally across all situations and individuals.
Personal biases: These are personal beliefs or values that can affect a person's decision-making process and lead to ethical dilemmas.
Harm principle: This is the concept that actions are only ethically acceptable if they do not cause harm to others.
Morality and the law: This involves examining the relationship between what is legal and what is ethically right, and the potential conflicts that arise between the two.
Moral responsibility: This refers to the idea that individuals are responsible for the consequences of their actions, whether intended or unintended.
The greater good: This phrase is often used in discussions of consequentialist ethics, referring to the idea that the good of the many outweighs the good of the few.
Objective vs. subjective ethics: This refers to the difference between ethics as an objective truth versus personal, subjective beliefs.
Consequentialism and the environment: This topic explores how consequentialist ethics can be applied to environmental issues, such as climate change and pollution.
Consequentialism and social justice: This topic examines how consequentialist ethics can be applied to issues of inequality, discrimination, and social justice.
Consequentialist critiques: This involves exploring common critiques of consequentialism, such as the objection that it can be difficult to predict outcomes, or that it may neglect individual rights.
Cultural relativism: This is the idea that ethical standards vary between cultures and that there is no universal ethical truth.
Moral absolutes: This refers to the idea that there are objective moral truths that are universally valid and applicable to all individuals and situations.
Act consequentialism: The view that an action is right if and only if it produces the best overall consequences.
Rule consequentialism: The view that we should follow a set of rules that, in general, produce the best overall consequences.
Utilitarianism: A moral theory that holds the greatest good is the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people.
Negative consequentialism: The view that minimizing or avoiding harm is more important than maximizing positive benefits or outcomes.
Prioritizing consequentialism: The view that some consequences are more important than others and should be given priority or weight in decision making.
Ethical egoism: The view that one should always act in their own self-interest, even if it doesn't produce the best overall consequences for everyone.
Ethical altruism: The view that one should always act in the best interest of others, even if it doesn't produce the best overall consequences for oneself.
Ideal consequentialism: The view that one should always strive to achieve the best possible outcome, even if it is not currently achievable or realistic.
Agent-neutral consequentialism: The view that the moral value of an action is determined solely by its consequences, regardless of who performs it.
Agent-relative consequentialism: The view that the moral value of an action depends on who performs it, and the context in which it is performed.
"A morally right act is one that will produce a good outcome."
"Consequentialism falls under the broader category of teleological ethics, a group of views which claim that the moral value of any act consists in its tendency to produce things of intrinsic value."
"An act is right if and only if the act will produce, will probably produce, or is intended to produce, a greater balance of good over evil than any available alternative."
"Different consequentialist theories differ in how they define moral goods, with chief candidates including pleasure, the absence of pain, the satisfaction of one's preferences, and broader notions of the 'general good'."
"Deontology derives the rightness or wrongness of one's conduct from the character of the behaviour itself, rather than the outcomes of the conduct."
"Virtue ethics focuses on the character of the agent rather than on the nature or consequences of the act (or omission) itself."
"Pragmatic ethics treats morality like science: advancing collectively as a society over the course of many lifetimes, such that any moral criterion is subject to revision."
"Some argue that consequentialist theories and deontological theories are not necessarily mutually exclusive."
"Human rights can only be justified with reference to the consequences of having those rights."
"Nozick argues for a theory that is mostly consequentialist but incorporates inviolable 'side-constraints' which restrict the sort of actions agents are permitted to do."
"Rule consequentialism, Kantian deontology, and contractualism would all end up prescribing the same behavior."
"Consequentialism and deontological ethics are the main categories mentioned."
"Chief candidates including pleasure, the absence of pain, the satisfaction of one's preferences, and broader notions of the 'general good'."
"Teleological ethics claim that the moral value of any act consists in its tendency to produce things of intrinsic value."
"Consequentialists hold that an act is right if it will produce a greater balance of good over evil than any available alternative."
"Deontology derives the rightness or wrongness of one's conduct from the character of the behavior itself."
"Virtue ethics focuses on the character of the agent, rather than on the nature or consequences of the act itself."
"Pragmatic ethics treats morality like science, advancing collectively as a society over the course of many lifetimes."
"Human rights can only be justified with reference to the consequences of having those rights."