What is consequentialism?

The view that the rightness of an action depends entirely on the consequences it produces.

Why is consequentialism criticised?

Because it requires outcomes to be predicted and compared on a common scale, and because counting only totals can hide unjust distribution of harm and benefit.

Consequentialism

noun (uncountable)

/kənˈsɛkwənʃəlɪzəm/

The broad family of ethical theories that evaluate the moral worth of an action solely or primarily by reference to its outcomes or consequences. Utilitarianism is its most famous sub-type; others include prioritarianism (giving greater weight to the worst-off) and egalitarianism. Consequentialism stands in direct opposition to deontology, which judges acts by their conformity to rules regardless of outcomes. In administrative ethics, consequentialist reasoning is often invoked to justify emergency departures from procedure, as in disaster management or national security decisions.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The National Disaster Management Authority's decision to forcibly evacuate coastal villages before Cyclone Tauktae (2021), overriding individual objections, rested on a consequentialist premise that collective harm-prevention justified temporary restrictions on personal liberty.

Synonyms

outcome-based ethicsteleological ethicsresults-based ethicsutilitarianism (specific form)welfarism

Antonyms

deontologyvirtue ethicsduty-ethicsrule-based ethics

🌱 Word Family

consequentialist (noun/adjective), consequence (noun), consequential (adjective), inconsequential (adjective)

🔡 Root

Latin consequi = to follow after + -ism = doctrine; con- = together + sequi = to follow

📜 Etymology

The philosophical label consequentialism was coined by G.E.M. Anscombe in her landmark 1958 essay 'Modern Moral Philosophy', published in Philosophy journal, though the underlying idea had underpinned utilitarian thought since Bentham. The Latin root consequi (to follow after, result) captures the idea that moral judgement 'follows after' an action by examining what it produced.

🧠 Memory Hook

CONSEQUENCE = what FOLLOWS. Consequentialism judges the tree by its fruit, not by the gardener's intentions or gardening rulebook. If the fruit is good, the action was right. Remember: 'con-SEQUENCE' — the sequence of results is all that counts.

🎯 How This Word Works in UPSC Writing

The position that the moral worth of an act lies wholly in its outcomes. It is the operating assumption of most policy evaluation, since cost-benefit analysis is consequentialist in structure, and saying so explicitly strengthens a GS3 or GS4 answer. The standard difficulties are equally usable: outcomes must be predicted, they must be commensurable to be compared, and distribution disappears when only totals are counted.

⚖️ Don’t Confuse It With

Consequentialism judges only by outcomes. Utilitarianism is the version specifying aggregate welfare as the outcome that counts. Deontology judges by duty instead. Pragmatism is about what works in practice and is a method rather than a moral criterion, so the two should not be equated.

🇮🇳 Hindi Meaning

परिणामवाद (parināmvād), the doctrine of results.

❓ Common Questions

What is consequentialism?: The view that the rightness of an action depends entirely on the consequences it produces.
Why is consequentialism criticised?: Because it requires outcomes to be predicted and compared on a common scale, and because counting only totals can hide unjust distribution of harm and benefit.

🧭 Ethics & Integrity 📖 Seen in: Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude — Complet... 📋 Also in Key Terms

Relevant across:GS4 · Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

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