Consequentialism = Teleology

Teleology Classic Definition

The word teleology comes from the Greek roots telos, which means end, and logos, which means science.

Thus, teleology is the "science of ends." Key questions which teleological ethical systems ask include:
What will be the consequences of this action? What will be the consequences of inaction? How do I weigh the harm against the benefits of this

action?

Teleology and Ethics

Teleological moral systems are characterized primarily by a focus on the consequences which any action might have

Referred to as consequentialist moral systems In order to make correct moral choices, we have to have some understanding of what will result from our choices.

When we make choices which result in the correct

consequences, then we are acting morally; when we make

choices which result in the incorrect consequences, then we are acting immorally.

Teleology

Teleological methods are based on estimating what the likely

outcomes of a given course of action will be, and then

choosing the method that has the most positive consequences and the fewest negative consequences.

According to these methods, those actions should be chosen which lead to more positive and fewer negative

consequences, and those actions should be rejected which

lead to more negative consequences and fewer positive consequences.

Types

Examples of teleological ethical theories include:

Ethical Egoism:

An action is morally right if the consequences of the action are more favorable than unfavorable only to the moral agent performing the action.

Ethical Altruism:

An action is morally right if the consequences of the action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone except the moral agent.

Ethical Utilitarianism:

An action is morally right if the consequences of the action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone.

Key Ethical Principles

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

Principle of Beneficence Principle of the Common Good Principle of Distributive Justice Principle of Double Effect Principles of Formal and Material Cooperation Principle of Human Dignity Principle of Informed Consent Principles of Integrity and Totality

Key Ethical Principles

9)

Principle of Proportionate and Disproportionate Means

10)
11) 12) 13) 14) 15)

Principle of Religious Freedom

Principle of Respect for Autonomy Principle of Respect for Persons Principle of Stewardship Principle of Subsidiarity Principle of Toleration

Principle of Beneficence

First principle of morality It means Do good, avoid evil Some norms that arise from this principle:
Never deliberately kill innocent human life Never deliberately (directly intend) harm Seek the patients good Act out of charity and justice Respect the patients religious beliefs and value system Never knowingly commit or approve an objectively evil action Appreciate the complexity of life and make sound judgments for the

good of oneself, others, and the common good

Principle of the Common Good

Common good consists of all the conditions of society and goods

secured by those conditions, which allow individuals to achieve human

and spiritual flourishing

human community must be actively concerned in promoting health and welfare of every one of its members

Principle has three essential elements:

respect for persons social welfare

peace and security

Obligates public authorities to respect the fundamental human rights of each person

Principle of Distributive Justice

Closely linked to the concepts of human dignity, the common

good, and human rights

Refers to what society owes its individual members in proportion to:

the individuals needs, contribution and responsibility;
the resources available to the society or organization the societys or organizations responsibility to the common

good

Implies that society has a duty to the individual in serious need and that all individuals have duties to others in serious need

Principle of Double Effect

An action that is good in itself that has two effects

An intended attainable good effect and An unintended yet foreseen evil effect

However there is a due proportion between the intended good and the permitted evil Moral criteria to distinguish between The Good and Permitted Evil are:

The object of the act must not be intrinsically evil The direct intention of the agent must be to achieve the beneficial effects and to avoid the foreseen harmful effects as far as possible

The foreseen beneficial effects must not be achieved by the means of the foreseen harmful effects, and no other means of achieving those effects are available;

The foreseen beneficial effects must be equal to or greater than the foreseen harmful effects The beneficial effects must follow from the action at least as immediately as do the harmful effects.

Principles of Formal and Material Cooperation

Moralists have long recognized that under many circumstances, it would be

impossible for an individual to do good in the world, without being involved

to some extent in evil

Formal Cooperation:
Occurs when a person or organization freely participates in the action(s)

of a principal agent, or shares in the agents intention, either for its own sake or as a means to some other goal.
Formal cooperation in intrinsically evil actions, either explicitly or

implicitly, is morally illicit.

Principles of Formal and Material Cooperation

Immediate Material Cooperation: Occurs when the cooperator participates in circumstances that are essential to the commission of an act, such that the act could not occur without this participation. Immediate material cooperation in intrinsically evil actions is morally illicit. Mediate Material Cooperation: Occurs when the cooperator participates in circumstances that are not essential to the commission of an action, such that the action could occur even without this cooperation. Mediate material cooperation in an immoral act might be justifiable under three basic conditions: If there is a proportionately serious reason for the cooperation the graver the evil the more serious a reason required for the cooperation; The importance of the reason for cooperation must be proportionate to the causal proximity of the cooperators action to the action of the principal agent The danger of scandal must be avoided

Principle of Human Dignity

Intrinsic Worth

Imago Dei

Self Respect

Principle of Informed Consent

Right to advance ones own welfare

Right to grant or refuse consent

Adequate disclosure of information

Principles of Integrity and Totality

Human nature is an integration of body and spirit

The body and soul are inseparable entities

Human body should be respected as one would respect the person

Surgeries and health care

Principle of Proportionate and Disproportionate Means

Analysis of ethical questions arising from the general obligation to preserve human life and the limits of that obligation

In case of euthanasia, it helps surrogate decision-makers to

weigh benefits and burdens

Principle of Religious Freedom

Freedom to practice any religion of your choice

One cannot be compelled to act against ones religion

Discrimination based on religion is unethical

Principle of Respect for Autonomy

Autonomy is the capacity for self-determination

To respect autonomy means to acknowledge that persons right

to make choices and take action based on that persons own values and beliefs

This principle implies that one should be free from coercion in

deciding to act, and that others are obligated to protect confidentiality, respect privacy, and tell the truth

This can be done through the process by obtaining informed

consent

Principle of Respect for Persons

All individual human beings are presumed to be free and responsible

persons and should be treated as such in proportion to their ability in

the circumstances

4 Dimensions of Human Life

Biological Psychological Social

Interrelation
bodily subject knowing subject social subject

Spiritual

self-transcendent subject

As a subject, and not merely an object, a human person must be treated with respect in such a way that recognizes his or her human dignity

Principle of Stewardship

Stewardship requires us to appreciate the two great gifts: the

earth and our own human nature

The principle requires that the gifts of human life and its natural environment be used with profound respect for their intrinsic

ends

Particular commitment to human dignity and common good

Principle of Subsidiarity

Corollary of the principle of common good, this

principle requires those in positions of authority, to recognize

that individuals have a right to participate in decisions that directly affect them, in accord with their dignity and with their

responsibility to the common good

The principle implies that, when a decision is to be made, we should identify the most appropriate forum and level of decision

making, and how best and to what degree those individuals

most affected should participate in the decision making process.

Principle of Toleration

According to this principle, those who govern both society and the individual institutions, may at times, tolerate the evil actions of others, if two criteria are met: 1) if a greater good or set of goods would be lost if the evil action were not tolerated; or, 2) if greater evils would occur were the original evil not tolerated.

In short, it is toleration of others participating in evil actions, where the

eradication of this participation is not practically or morally feasible

Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was an English

jurist, philosopher, and legal and

social reformer

He has come to be considered the

founding figure of
modern utilitarianism

John Stuart Mill was student of Jeremy Bentham

John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill was a British

philosopher, political economist and

civil servant. He was also an influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy

He was a proponent of utilitarian, an

ethical theory developed by Jeremy Bentham

Mill's famous formulation of utilitarianism is known as the "greatesthappiness principle"

Consequentialism

Consequentialism is one form of teleological ethics and it emphasizes on

the principle of the good as its central concept

A morally right act is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence It derives the rightness or wrongness of one's conduct from the outcomes or result of the conduct

Consequentialism have been criticized for placing too much emphasis on the maximization of valuable resulting states of affairs, which can lead to morally counter-intuitive conclusions

Amongst various forms of Consequentialism, the most popular form is Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism

Two influential contributors to this ethical theory are

Jeremy Bentham and John Mill

Utilitarianism holds that morally valuable actions are those actions that bring about the greatest good for the greatest number of people

For example:
If one believes that the good consists in the maximization of

utility, then one is a strict utilitarian.

Utilitarian refers to maximization of good to maximum number of people

Utilitarianism

There are several theories of value held by individuals who have been called Utilitarians.

a. Hedonism: equates good with pleasure, bad or evil with pain.

b. Eudamonism: equates good with happiness, bad or evil with unhappiness.

c. Agathism: views good as an indefinable, intrinsic feature of various

situations and states, evil as either an indefinable, intrinsic feature of other situations and states, or simply as the absence of good. d. Agapeism: equates good with live, bad with hate. e. Values pluralism: holds that there are many good, including pleasure and happiness, but also knowledge, friendship, love, and so forth. These may or may not be viewed as differing in importance or priority.

Aristotle vs. Bentham

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, founder of Western

philosophy, encompassed morality, logic, science, politics, etc.

He believed that final causes guided all natural processes. Thus he was teleological

Bentham was hedonistic and thus a strong utilitarian

He believed in the greatest happiness principle which predominantly means pleasure over pain

Thank you