Gavin Orland » Deontology vs. Consequentialism

Deontology vs. Consequentialism

Thursday 7th June 2007 10:50 in Human Relations | 22 views logged | No comments

There has been a lot of talk over the centuries about whether an act can really be said to be have been a good act if it was done for the wrong reasons (Kant was especially concerned about this).

For example, if I give money to a homeless person in order to boost my own ego, not through genuine concern for them. Also the opposite – if my good intentions backfire and my act accidentally kills someone. Was it still a good act?

No, of course it wasn’t. All we have to do to sort this out is make a distinction between the goodness of acts and intentions, then the dilemma evaporates.

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