RLO: Moral Theories

• Introduction
• Consequentialism
• Scenario 1
• Deontology
• Bioethics
• Principles of Bioethics
• Scenario 2
• Summary

Consequentialism
“The End Justifies the Means”

In consequentialism, the consequence of an action justifies the moral acceptability of the means taken to reach that end. The results of actions outweigh any other consideration; in other words, ‘the end justifies the means.’ Jeremy Bentham was an early and influential advocate of utilitarianism, the dominant consequentialist position. A utilitarian believes in ‘the greatest happiness for the greatest number.’ The more people who benefit from a particular action, the greater its good.