TELEOLOGICAL ETHICS ( Consequentialist Ethics )

Greek telos : end or goal. Concerned with the end-point or results of an action
Consequentialism Pragmatism

What is right depends on the result..

Consequentialism
is a set of ethical strategies

that tell us to maximize the sum of good consequences and minimize the sum of bad ones, or maximizing the net consequences, i.e., the good ones minus the bad ones.

Critique : Consequentialism
(1) An action is right if and only if its total outcome is the best possible ? (2) The character of the act itself is left out .

Has the unacceptable consequence that an agent is equally responsible for the foreseen but unintended consequences of an act, no matter whether the act is courageous or cowardly.

Conclusion to Consequentialism:
Consequentialists believe that consequences are the only things that matter:
A. B.

C. D. E.

We do not necessarily know the outcome. The consequences of our own action may be unpredictable. The consequences of other peoples actions which impact on our actions may also be unpredictable. We do not know what the consequences will be of our action in the long term. We cant necessarily control the consequences.