According to the axiological element, agents options can always be ranked. For instance, most people would agree that lying is wrong. A book chapter about 8,000 words, plus references summarizing part one of reasons and persons, with particular attention to the selfinterest theory, consequentialism, commonsense morality, and how critical scrutiny of consequentialism and commonsense morality points the way toward a unified theory of morality. Utilitarianism is perhaps historically the most important form of consequentialism.
As a political theory it is however entirely justified as a means of maximising the power of the state visavis other states. It is a very simple, and very appealing, theory about our moral obligations. In contrast to act consequentialism, deontology is an agentrelative theory. Consequentialism is the view that the rightness and wrongness of acts depends entirely on facts about the consequences of acts. Apr 06, 2015 normative ethics, also known as normative theory, or moral theory, intends to find out which actions are right and wrong, or which character traits are good and bad. Oct 17, 2018 all in all, pragmatic consequentialism as a moral theory faces serious difficulties in nondisaster settings. It follows that, while unattenuated exchange and property rights are assigned an implicit, instrumental role in the achievement of firstbest paretian optima, little attention has focused on alternative rights construals, on their associated, correlative duties, and on the implications for swt. Incidental and consequential damages sample clauses. Consequentialism is a theory that suggests an action is good or bad depending on its outcome. Feb 28, 2018 makes ethical ideas accessible to students. Consequentialism is a major moral theory and a rival to such non consequentialist theories as deontology, contractualism, and virtue ethics. Like deontology, rule consequentialism holds that moral behavior involves. Consequentialist decision theory and utilitarian ethics. Two such principles include those of utilitarianism and consequentialism.
We have to distinguish a theory of the right from a theory of the good. There are several different principles to go by when analyzing current research in business in order to determine its level of morality. Consequentialism in this sense is a very openended doctrine. Apr 11, 2008 rule consequentialism must be formulated so that it selects as the ideal the code the one whose internalization by less than 100 percent of the population would produce the most good. Utilitarianism is the most influential consequentialist theory. Therefore, in order to ensure that his theory actually captures the holistic intuition it was designed to capture, it seems that hiller also. An action that brings about more benefit than harm is good, while an action that causes more harm than benefit is not. Traditional consequentialist social welfare theory swt is intendedly valuefree and institutionless. Moral theory sets out the basic system used to solve moral problems, the system that consequentialists deride as traditional morality. Consequential ethical theory it is a part of normative ethical theories and it means that the consequence of ones behavior is an ultimate mean for anyone to judge the rightness or wrongness of that behavior.
For the deontologist, the rule is, follow the rules. Negative consequentialism most consequentialist theories focus on promoting some sort of good consequences. Consequentialist theory is one of the normative ethics theories that try to. For the consequentialist, the rule is, produce good consequences. Consequentialism in environmental ethics oxford handbooks. It discusses several types of consequentialist theories, including classical utilitarianism, biocentric consequentialism, and ecocentric or holistic consequentialism. Consequentialist and nonconsequentialist theories bartleby. The work is, even for nonbelievers, an important and engaging statement of non consequentialist moral theory kaspar lippertrasmussen, the philosophical quarterly, vol. This means a good decision produces a good result, while a bad decision produces a bad result. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the borrower and each other credit party shall not assert, and hereby waives, any claim against any indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages as opposed to direct or actual damages arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this agreement. Granted the appropriate concern of law with social good, difficult questions arise when we try to decide how this good is to be determined. It is also important to note that many use classical utilitarianism as the primary example of act consequentialism, often using the two. This essay analyses the significance of consequentialism in legislation and legal adjudication.
Applied ethics focuses the central concepts of traditional morality rights, justice, the good, virtue, and the fundamental value of human life on a number of pressing contemporary problems, including abortion, euthanasia, animals, capital punishment, and war. It need not amount, for example, to utilitarianism. Consequentialism stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. But if telling a lie would help save a persons life, consequentialism says its the right thing to do. Consequentialism and constraints consequentialist theories have two elements. A consequentialist theory consists of different building. This means that, even if this response could respond to o1 and o2, it cannot generate all intuitively morally permissible options if we assume any plausible theory. Whether an action is right is merely a function of the agentneutral value of its consequences. The other category of ethical theories, which aims to be a counterbalance of teleological horizon, refers to deontology. Rule consequentialism is a theory that is sometimes seen as an attempt to reconcile consequentialism with deontology, or rulesbased ethics and in some cases, this is stated as a criticism of rule consequentialism.
It is one of the most influential, and controversia. Consequentialist ethical theory is considered to be a normative ethical theory. Specifically, there is the problem of determining an exact reference for the term society and for the term social good. According to consequentialist accounts of morality the moral value of an act, rule or policy is to be found in its consequences, not in intentions or motives. Consequentialism and environmental ethics 1st edition. Consequentialism is a class of normative, teleological ethical theories that holds that the. Consequentialism is the view that the rightness or wrongness of actions depend solely on their consequences. In general, consequentialist theories focus on actions.
Laws and meaning changes in chinese philosophy pdf. Consequentialism 1st edition julia driver routledge book. So, from the perspective of a consequentialist an ethically right act is. Mar 29, 2021 this chapter summarizes consequentialist theory in its application to environmental ethics. It does not deny that consequences can be a factor in determining the rightness of an act. I will argue that consequentialist ethics is most appropriate when decisions are taken. Pdf consequentialist decision theory and utilitarian ethics. These ethical theories have been put to the test in the case study involving ms.
One might agree with nozick about the experience machine, and still be a consequentialist, if one holds that what makes one state of affairs better than another can sometimes depend on facts other than sensations of pleasure and. Design causality in the service of consequential theory show all. Positive emotions broaden and build university of michigan. Theory and practice educates readers about ethical theory and applies concepts to classic and contemporary moral problems lying, cheating, establishing ethical business practices, honoring ethical obligations in medicine, etc. Pdf consequentialist theory is one of the normative ethics theories that try to answer the ethical questions about right or. After a short discussion of legislative impact assessment, the. Pdf consequentialist theory a discussion of ethical. Two examples of consequentialism are utilitarianism and hedonism. Waiver of consequential damages, etc sample clauses. As most see it, consequentialism is a theory about the permissibility of actions, but some hold instead that it is a theory about only the comparative moral value of actions. Consequentialist decision theory and utilitarian ethics peterj. There is the consequentialist theory, and the non consequentialist.
Introductionthe three main general approaches to moral theory are consequentialism, deontology, and virtue theory. It is the view that the only thing that matters morally is the consequences of an action. Test bank for ethics theory and practice 11th edition by. It does insist that even when the consequences of two acts or. Perhaps this is because broad thinks of kant and sidgwick as prototypes. In contrast, metaethics, as the term suggests, is a study of the nature of ethics. Nonconsequentialism is a type of normative ethical theory that denies that the rightness or wrongness of our conduct is determined solely by the goodness or badness of the consequences of our acts or of the rules to which those acts conform. Consequentialism, rights, and the new social welfare theory. Consequentialism in a principle that looks to decipher the outcome of a moral act. Download product flyer is to download pdf in new tab. We see here therefore how wrong it would be to reduce the moral to the political. So, from the perspective of a consequentialist an ethically right act is the one that will inherit good outcome or consequence. Download pdf did you struggle to get access to this article. However, one could equally well lay out a consequentialist theory that focuses solely on minimizing bad consequences.
Consequentialism is a rival to such moral theories as deontology. Download the oxford handbook of consequentialism books, this handbook contains thirtytwo previously unpublished contributions to consequentialist ethics by leading scholars, covering whats happening in the field today as well as pointing to new directions for future research. Jan 08, 2014 in particular, the contributors use consequentialist theory to address central questions in environmental ethics, such as questions about what kinds of things have value. For example, the claim that an act is right if and only if its consequences are at least as good as those of any other act that could have been performed instead is a consequentialist claim. The most famous version of this theory is utilitarianism. The underlying picture of value for consequentialism is that value is to be found in the world in a certain way, and that morality is all about that value. Consequentialism ethics in practice, 3 rd edition, edited by hugh lafollette blackwell publishers, forthcoming, 2006 peter vallentyne, university of missouricolumbia 1. Consequentialist ethical theories a purely consequentialist ethical theory is a general normative theory that bases the moral evaluation of acts, rules, institutions, etc. It states that the consequences of a persons conduct are the basis of any judgment regarding whether that conduct was right or wrong. Design causality in the service of consequential theory show all authors.
The central concepts, principles and distinctions of traditional morality are explained and defended. Topics in consequentialism bibliography philpapers. He seems to believe that in its practical motive theory. Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its consequences are. Non consequentialist and consequentialist ethical theoriesin terms of the history of modern ethical theory, one could say that consequentialism has been the preeminent approach, starting from jeremy benthams theory of utility and that of j. In this way, the rule consequentialist can ensure that there will be rules pertaining to non. Consequentialism final journal of ethics and social philosophy.
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