Intention is important but can be tricky in thinking about ethics, which is about what is right and wrong. Here are two main ideas:
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Deontological Ethics:
- This idea is all about following rules and duties.
- Here, intention matters a lot; if someone has good intentions, that can make their actions okay.
- However, there's a problem. Sometimes, different duties can clash. This can make it hard to know what’s right, even if someone meant well.
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Consequentialism:
- This idea focuses more on the results of actions rather than the intentions behind them.
- In this view, people often ignore intentions; the outcome is what really counts.
- But here’s the catch: good intentions can lead to bad results. This makes us question what is truly moral.
Possible Solutions:
- We could combine both intention and outcome to create a fairer way of deciding what is right or wrong.
- It might help to rethink our ideas about ethics to handle complicated situations better, allowing for more flexible choices.