CONSEQUENTIALIST 5
Running head: CONSEQUENTIALIST 1
Consequentialism
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Consequentialism
Consequentialism is characterized primarily by a focus on the consequences which an action may have. It is focused on the outcomes or results of a decision or action. Actions are termed to be ethical or unethical by the consequences they have. Choices which result in the right effects are morally correct while choices which result in incorrect effects are immoral. Consequentialism is also referred to as a teleontological theory, and it primarily focuses on the outcomes of action (Patrick & Werkhoven, 2017).
Intrinsic good
This refers to the ethical concept of something that is good in and of itself just because it is. An intrinsic good is contrasted with original or instrumental sound which is suitable for something. Teleontology holds a hedonistic and eudemonistic view of intrinsic good, that is, pleasure and eudemonia are considered good. On the other hand, deontologists value one’s duty to the rules as the only inherent good (Stebbins, 2016).
Hedonism
This is a school of thought that contends that the pursuit of pleasure and essential goods are the most critical goals of human life (Stebbins, 2016). Ethical hedonism is the notion that all people have the right to do everything to achieve the most significant balance of pleasure possible. (Stebbins, 2016).
Pluralism
Ethical pluralism is the notion that states that there are many approaches concerning what is right or wrong which may be not be the same with your moral norms. It is also called moral pluralism or value. It is related but different from moral relativism (there are many ethical approaches, and there is no fair means by which they may be judged) and cultural pluralism (norm, practices, and values may be only understood as sensible within their specific cultural contexts (Patrick & Werkhoven, 2017).
Preference satisfaction
This is a moral theory according to which the good consists in the comfort of people’s preferences and the morality of any action depends directly or indirectly on its being productive of such satisfaction.
Act utilitarianism
Act utilitarianism states that a person’s act is morally correct if it brings at least as much happiness as any other actions that the person could perform at that time. Act utilitarian judge an act in terms of its consequences (outcomes) of that act alone.
Rule utilitarianism
Rule utilitarianism assumes that an action is right if it conforms to the rule that leads to the highest balance of good over bad. In other words, for rule utilitarian, the suitability of a law depends on the amount of good it brings about when followed.
Altruism
This is when we act to promote other people’s welfare even at risk or cost to ourselves. It is the actin out of concern for other’s well-being. People behave humanely when they see others in desperate situations and sympathize with them. It is the opposite of egoism.
Egoism
This describes humans as being self-centered (Mill, 2016). Machan (2015), contends that people only act in their self-interest. Even when they appear to be working in other’s interests, descriptive egoism suggests that the person is motivated by their self-interest. The motivation may be to make themselves look good in the eyes of others, or because they believe by helping others, others will help them in times of trouble. With this view, everyone ought to pursue his/her self-interest, and no one must promote anyone else’s interest.
Principles of right action for hedonistic utilitarianism
Obligatory: rights actions are either mandatory or optional. According to Mill (2016), necessary measures are those whose omission is optimal to blame.
Forbidden: acts of self-sacrifice performed for the sake of the good of others but which result in a greater balance of harm over good than alternative actions would produce are generally regarded as heroic but are forbidden as wrong by the utilitarian (Mill, 2016).
Why consequentialist theories are teleontological theories
This is because consequentialist arguments primarily focus on the consequences or outcomes of ethical actions. The consequentialist approach is a normative theory which bases the moral evaluation of rules and acts solely on the goodness of their effects. The correctness of an action is based on whether that action brings the correct consequences or results (Mill, 2016). Thus, a fact is morally right if its values are right. Here, the ends justify the means. The ending is more important than the methods. This theory contends that when you make choices that result in the correct consequences, then you are acting morally and when you make decisions which lead to incorrect outcomes, then you are acting immorally. Since teleontological theories focus on the results of ethical actions, then they are consequentialist theories.
References
Machan, T. R. (2015). Egoism, Psychological Egoism, and Ethical Egoism. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, 1-4.
Mill, J. S. (2016). Utilitarianism. In Seven Masterpieces of Philosophy (pp. 337-383). Routledge.
Patrick, T., & Werkhoven, S. (2017). Utilitarianism. Macat Library.
Stebbins, R. A. (2016). Hedonism, Eudaimonia, and the Serious Leisure Perspective. In the Handbook of Eudaimonic Well-Being (pp. 497-506). Springer, Cham.