Week 1 Discussion Forum

• In your own words, describe the primary difference between consequentialist and non-consequentialist approaches to ethics.
• Choose one of the major theories associated with consequentialism: what objections might be made to this theory?
• Choose one of the major theories associated with non-consequentialism: what objections might be made to this theory?
• In addition to your main response, you must also post substantive responses to at least two of your classmates’ posts in this thread. Your response should include elements such as follow-up questions, further exploration of topics from the initial post, or requests for further clarification or explanation on some points made by the classmates.

Consequentialists and non-consequentialist differ in their judgment on people’s actions. For example, the Consequentialist approach explains that the notion that the morality of one’s action is dependent on the results of that action. It means that the morally just action will result in a good outcome and the quality of the results will depend on how righteous the judgment is.

Week 1 Discussion Forum Answer

There are different theories guiding actions and these are classified either as consequentialist or non-consequentialist. To the former belongs those theories which judge an act as ethically correct or not based on the consequence of such an act regardless of whether it is deemed as good or bad. Non-consequentialist theories, on the other hand, disregard the consequences of an action and assess the wrongness or rightness of an act based on its adherence to certain principles or duties.