Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  .This section is about intention and consequence.  ---  1/24/2006

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  (1) Being bad with good intentions vs. (2) being good with bad intentions.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  (1) Doing right thing for right reason.  (2) Doing right thing for wrong reason.  (3) Doing wrong thing, but for right reasons.  (4) Doing wrong thing, and for wrong reasons.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  (1) Ethics based on intentions.  (A) There is an argument that a person's intentions can and should be taken into account when assessing the ethical nature of an action.  A person's mental state must be taken into account when evaluating the person's actions.  For example, sometimes people do things "by accident" and other times people do things in a "premeditated" way.  Another example, a crime of passion takes into account that a person's emotions interfered with their thinking when they committed a crime.  There are also insanity defenses that claim a person was insane when committing a crime.  There is also a certain part of law that distinguishes premeditated murder from manslaughter.  Manslaughter is still a crime, especially when negligence was involved.  For example, if a person hits a pedestrian when driving above the speed limit.  (B) However, one problem with the notion of intention is that it is not possible to exactly determine what was going on in another persons mind.  A problem with the notion of intention in the area of ethics is that an ethics based on intention lets people try to use invalid excuses, such as, "It was an accident.  It was a mistake.  I didn't know it was illegal.  I meant well."  (C) Intention alone is not a crime in the United States.  If intention alone was a crime then there would be such a thing as "thought crimes".  (D) There is a certain part of law that says if you intended to kill, and planned to kill, and attempted to kill, but failed in your attempt to kill, then that is still a criminal act.     PART TWO.  Ethics of consequences.  That the consequences of an action are important seems an obvious principle of ethics.  Ethics, in large part, is about actions.  Actions have consequences, in a cause and effect relationship.  The question is often whether a particular action by a person caused a particular consequence to another person.  Issues are raised of direct cause, indirect cause, contributing cause, etc.  ---  11/15/2005

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  (1) Ethics of intention: what did you want to do.  (2) Ethics of result, consequence: what happened.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  (1) Inconsequential decisions.  Doesn't really matter one way or another. (2) Consequential decisions: matters which you pick.  (3) Mistaking the above two.  (A) Thinking that something has no effect on situation when it does (Ex. ignoring psychological dimensions).  Thinking something is irrelevant when it is not.  (B) Think that something matters when it does not.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  All actions have consequences (cause and effect).  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  Does anyone do anything bad on purpose?  Some say no.  Doesn't everyone always feel justified in doing wrong?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  Good intentions with no knowledge yields mistakes.  Both good intentions and knowledge are required.  Good intentions with much knowledge yields good results.  ---  4/28/2001

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  If you do a instead of b, sometimes it is tough to tell all the consequences of each.  So it is tough to tell which is better.  Who can say what will happen?  At what point does the choice become inconsequential?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  Intention: what you wanted to happen.  Consequences: what actually happened.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  Intentional vs. unintentional, accident, or mistake.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics, intention and consequence.  ---  What is vs. what could be (better, worse).  What effort, or lack of, to get from one to other.  ---  12/30/1992