which course of action when it comes to consequentialism

Consequentialism is a theory that says whether something is good or bad depends on its outcomes. An action that brings about more benefit than harm is good, while an action that causes more harm than benefit is not. The most famous version of this theory is utilitarianism.

Full Answer

What is the basic form of consequentialism?

This basic form of consequentialism holds an action as ethical if and only if it produces more beneficial/pleasure-causing outcomes than negative/pain-causing ones. Whenever we are faced with a decision, an act consequentialist will expect us to ask that question.

What happens if the consequentialist course of action is not adopted?

If the consequentialist course of action is not adopted, that implies that somebody is suffering or their life is not going as well as it could go for the sake of some rule, principle or moral. It is important to ask: is it worth this person’s life going worse for the sake of this rule or moral? In many cases, it is hard to justify.

What is Act consequentialism in ethics?

Act consequentialism is the claim that an act is morally right if and only if that act maximizes the good, that is, if and only if the total amount of good for all minus the total amount of bad for all is greater than this net amount for any incompatible act available to the agent on that occasion.

What is the standard of right action for consequentialism?

Rule Consequentialism: An action is morally right if and only if it does not violate the set of rules of behavior whose general acceptance in the community would have the best consequences—that is, at least as good as any rival set of rules or no rules at all.

What consequentialism explained?

Consequentialism = whether an act is morally right depends only on consequences (as opposed to the circumstances or the intrinsic nature of the act or anything that happens before the act).

What is the goal of consequentialism?

The gist of objective consequentialism. The main idea behind act consequentialism is that an act's moral value stems only from its consequences as compared to the consequences of the other acts available to the agent; some way of evaluating the consequences needs of course to be assumed.

What are the three types of consequentialism?

Forms of consequentialismUtilitarianism.Rule consequentialism.State consequentialism.Ethical egoism.Ethical altruism.Two-level consequentialism.Motive consequentialism.Negative consequentialism.More items...

What course of action is morally right?

Morally right acts are activities that are allowed. They include the morally neutral, the morally obligatory, and the morally supererogatory. Morally neutral acts are morally right activities that are allowed but not required. One is neither obligated nor prohibited from doing them.

What is consequentialism in ethics quizlet?

Consequentialism. The way of ethical thinking, in which we think about the consequences of our actions constantly.

Which type of ethics is sometimes referred to as consequentialism?

Teleological. A type of ethics sometimes referred to as consequentialist ethics that judges an action based on its consequences.

What are the two main consequentialist theories?

The two main consequentialist theories considered here are egoism and utilitarianism.

What is consequentialist moral reasoning?

Consequentialist Moral Reasoning- locates morality in the consequences of an act (in the state of the world that will result from the thing you do). This is the basis for the philosophy known as utilitarianism. (See Jeremy Bentham's Principles of Morals and Legislation) and John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism.)

What are the elements of consequentialism?

Consequentialists have distinguished three components of their theory: (1) their thesis about what makes acts morally wrong, (2) their thesis about the procedure agents should use to make their moral decisions, and (3) their thesis about the conditions under which moral sanctions such as blame, guilt, and praise are ...

What are the key features of consequentialist theories?

Consequentialism is based on two principles:Whether an act is right or wrong depends only on the results of that act.The more good consequences an act produces, the better or more right that act.

What is an implication of act consequentialism?

implications of consequentialism. 1. consequentialist "right action" is completely defined in terms of how action is connected to consequences. 2. Intentions not directly relevant for assessing morality of indiv.

What is the ultimate aim of consequentialism?

Closely related is eudaimonic consequentialism, according to which a full, flourishing life, which may or may not be the same as enjoying a great deal of pleasure, is the ultimate aim. Similarly, one might adopt an aesthetic consequentialism, in which the ultimate aim is to produce beauty.

When was consequentialism first used?

According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Mohist consequentialism, dating back to the 5th century BCE, is the "world's earliest form of consequentialism, a remarkably sophisticated version based on a plurality of intrinsic goods taken as constitutive of human welfare.".

What is consequentialism in ethics?

Consequentialism is a class of normative, teleological ethical theories that holds that the consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act (or omission from acting) is one that will produce a good outcome.

What is the difference between consequentialism and deontology?

Consequentialism is usually contrasted with deontological ethics (or deontology ), in that deontology, in which rules and moral duty are central, derives the rightness or wrongness of one's conduct from the character of the behaviour itself rather than the outcomes of the conduct.

What is the normative status of an action?

The normative status of an action depends on its consequences according to consequentialism. The consequences of the actions of an agent may include other actions by this agent. Actualism and possibilism disagree on how later possible actions impact the normative status of the current action by the same agent.

What is agent neutral consequentialism?

Agent-neutral consequentialism ignores the specific value a state of affairs has for any particular agent. Thus, in an agent-neutral theory, an actor's personal goals do not count any more than anyone else's goals in evaluating what action the actor should take.

What is the two level approach?

The two-level approach involves engaging in critical reasoning and considering all the possible ramifications of one's actions before making an ethical decision, but reverting to generally reliable moral rules when one is not in a position to stand back and examine the dilemma as a whole. In practice, this equates to adhering to rule consequentialism when one can only reason on an intuitive level, and to act consequentialism when in a position to stand back and reason on a more critical level.

What is consequentialialism?

Consequentialism, as its name suggests, is simply the view that normative properties depend only on consequences. This historically important and still popular theory embodies the basic intuition that what is best or right is whatever makes ...

What is the meaning of the term "consequentialism"?

In actual usage, the term “consequentialism” seems to be used as a family resemblance term to refer to any descendant of classic utilitarianism that remains close enough to its ancestor in the important respects. Of course, different philosophers see different respects as the important ones.

What is consequentialism moral theory?

Consequentialist moral theories that focus on actual or objectively probable consequences are often described as objective consequentialism (Railton 1984). In contrast, consequentialist moral theories that focus on intended or foreseen consequences are usually described as subjective consequentialism .

What is the difference between a direct consequentialist and a direct consequentialist?

A direct consequentialist holds that the moral qualities of something depend only on the consequences of that very thing. Thus , a direct consequentialist about motives holds that the moral qualities of a motive depend on the consequences of that motive.

Which paradigm case is consequentialism?

The paradigm case of consequentialism is utilitarianism, whose classic proponents were Jeremy Bentham (1789), John Stuart Mill (1861), and Henry Sidgwick (1907). (For predecessors, see Schneewind 1997, 2002.) Classic utilitarians held hedonistic act consequentialism. Act consequentialism is the claim that an act is morally right if and only if that act maximizes the good, that is, if and only if the total amount of good for all minus the total amount of bad for all is greater than this net amount for any incompatible act available to the agent on that occasion. (Cf. Moore 1912, chs. 1–2.) Hedonism then claims that pleasure is the only intrinsic good and that pain is the only intrinsic bad.

Why do some moral theorists believe in simple principles?

Some moral theorists seek a single simple basic principle because they assume that simplicity is needed in order to decide what is right when less basic principles or reasons conflict. This assumption seems to make hedonism attractive. Unfortunately, however, hedonism is not as simple as they assume, because hedonists count both pleasures and pains. Pleasure is distinct from the absence of pain, and pain is distinct from the absence of pleasure, since sometimes people feel neither pleasure nor pain, and sometimes they feel both at once. Nonetheless, hedonism was adopted partly because it seemed simpler than competing views.

What does Hedonism claim?

Moore 1912, chs. 1–2.) Hedonism then claims that pleasure is the only intrinsic good and that pain is the only intrinsic bad. These claims are often summarized in the slogan that an act is right if and only if it causes “the greatest happiness for the greatest number.”. This slogan is misleading, however.

What is the theory of consequentialism?

Consequentialism is a theory that suggests an action is good or bad depending on its outcome. An action that brings about more benefit than harm is good, while an action that causes more harm than benefit is not. The most famous version of this theory is Utilitarianism.

Why is consequentialism important?

Please try again later. Consequentialism is an attractive ethical approach because it provides clear and practical guidance – at least in situations where outcomes are easy to predict. The theory is also impartial.

Why is utilitarianism considered egalitarian?

Because it counted every person’s pleasure or pain as the same, regardless of age, wealth, race, etc. utilitarianism could be seen as a radically egalitarian philosophy. Bentham’s views are most closely aligned with act utilitarianism.

What is ethics centre?

The Ethics Centre is a not-for-profit organisation developing innovative programs, services and experiences, designed to bring ethics to the centre of professional and personal life.

Which theory of utilitarianism focused on which actions were most likely to make people happy?

Bentham’s theory of utilitarianism focussed on which actions were most likely to make people happy. If happiness was the experience of pleasure without pain, the most ethical actions were ones that caused the most possible happiness and the least possible pain.

Is it unethical to speed on an empty street?

According to this theory, it would be unethical for you to speed on an empty street at two o’clock in the morning. Even if nobody would be hurt, our speeding laws mean less people are harmed overall. Keeping to those rules ensures that. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

What is consequentialism in science?

The simplest form of consequentialism is classical (or hedonistic) utilitarianism, which asserts that an action is right or wrong according to whether it maximizes the net balance of pleasure over pain in the universe. The consequentialism of G.E. Moore, known as “ideal utilitarianism,” recognizes beauty and friendship, as well as pleasure, ...

Who is the founder of utilitarianism?

Utilitarianism, in normative ethics, a tradition stemming from the late 18th- and 19th-century English philosophers and economists Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill according to which an action (or type of action) is right if it tends to promote happiness or pleasure and wrong if it tends to produce unhappiness….

What is normative ethics?

ethics: The debate over consequentialism. Normative ethics seeks to set norms or standards for conduct. The term is commonly used in reference to the discussion of general theories about what one ought to do, a central part of Western ethics since ancient times. Normative ethics continued to occupy the…. ethics.

What is consequentialism in psychology?

Consequentialism. An action is the right thing to do in certain circumstances if, of all the actions available in those circumstances, it would produce the best outcome. Corresponding to each of these views about what makes one outcome better than another is a different version of consequentialism.

What is the meaning of "consequentialism"?

Consequentialism. An action is the right thing to do in certain circumstances if, of all the actions available in those circumstances, it would produce the best outcome. •The extent to which the desires of agents are satisfied. •The extent to which the states of affairs contain beauty, or love, or friendship, or something else taken to be ...

What is the view of utilitarianism?

This view might be called hedonistic consequentialism; an easier name for it is utilitarianism: Utilitarianism. An action is the right thing to do in certain circumstances if, of all the actions available in those circumstances, it would produce the best overall distribution of pleasure and pain.

Which view is often summed up with the slogan that one ought always to act to cause the greatest happiness for the

This is the view which is often summed up with the slogan that one ought always to act to cause the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Utilitarianism. An action is the right thing to do in certain circumstances if, of all the actions available in those circumstances, it would produce the best overall distribution of pleasure and pain. ...

What is the right thing to do in certain circumstances?

An action is the right thing to do in certain circumstances if, of all the actions available in those circumstances, it would produce the best outcome. A better view takes into account pleasure, as well as pain. This sort of view about what makes an outcome good or bad might be stated as follows: Hedonism. One state of affairs is better ...

Overview

There are two broad schools of ethical theory: consequentialism and non-consequentialism.

Consequentialism

Consequentialism is a theory of right action. It instructs the agent to outline all the possible actions, including doing nothing at all. One must then assign a value to the possible outcomes of each action, and a probability for each of these outcomes occurring.

Act and Rule Consequentialism

There are two different ways of evaluating consequences. According to act consequentialism, the right act is the act which produces the best consequences. According to rule consequentialism, the right rule is the rule which produces the best consequences.

Autonomy

Besides aiming to promote the best interests of the patient (maximizing welfare or well-being), modern medicine aims to respect the autonomy of the patient. This is encapsulated in the need to obtain valid consent for any medical procedure.

Strengths of Consequentialism

The sole focus of welfare consequentialism is promoting well-being. If anything matters in ethics, how well people’s lives go matters. Well-being is a common currency of all ethical theories.

Challenges

We have already discussed the challenge of defining well-being, gathering evidence relevant to the probabilities of different outcomes and comparing the expected utility of different options. There are other challenges.

A Consequentialist Manifesto for the Evolution of Medical Law

If the medical law were to fully embrace consequentialism, at least 14 potential changes would be warranted.

What is Consequentialism?

Consequentialism is a philosophical claim that the morality of an action is judged by whether it results in right or wrong consequences.

Non-Consequentialist Theory

In contrast to consequentialist views of morality, there are also non-consequentialist views, which claim that morality depends on aspects of an action beyond just consequences. One common non-consequentialist theory is deontological ethics, or deontology.

Consequentialist and Non-Consequentialist Examples

Hypothetical situations can help clarify the differences between the consequentialist and non-consequentialist approach.

Views of Morality: Explore Further

This lesson gave you an introduction to two schools of thought that fall under normative ethics: consequentialist and non-consequentialist morality. This can be a tricky subject, but you can use the following activities to learn more.

Overview

Issues

Forms of consequentialism

Teleological ethics

Etymology

Criticisms

Notable consequentialists

See also

Classic Utilitarianism

• The paradigm case of consequentialism is utilitarianism, whoseclassic proponents were Jeremy Bentham (1789), John Stuart Mill (1861),and Henry Sidgwick (1907). (For predecessors, see Schneewind 1997, 2002.)Classic utilitarians held hedonistic act consequentialism. Actconsequentialism is the claim that an act is morally right if andonly if that act ...

See more on plato.stanford.edu

What Is Consequentialism?

What Is good? Hedonistic vs. Pluralistic Consequentialisms

Which Consequences? Actual vs. Expected Consequentialisms

Consequences of What? Rights, Relativity, and Rules

Consequences For Whom? Limiting The Demands of Morality

Arguments For Consequentialism