Philosophy Normative Ethics Questions
The role of consequences in normative ethics is to determine the moral value or rightness of an action. Consequentialist theories, such as utilitarianism, focus on the outcomes or consequences of an action in order to determine its moral worth. These theories argue that the morality of an action is determined by the overall balance of positive and negative consequences it produces. In contrast, non-consequentialist theories, such as deontology, emphasize the inherent nature of an action or adherence to moral principles, rather than the consequences. However, even non-consequentialist theories may consider the potential consequences as a factor in decision-making, but they do not solely rely on them to determine the moral value of an action. Overall, the role of consequences in normative ethics is to provide a framework for evaluating the morality of actions and guiding ethical decision-making.