Intendedness

Intendedness refers to the degree to which a result is a target of an agent’s plan or intention. It is a feature of intentional action and contrasts with outcomes that occur by accident or as mere side effects. Outcomes can be fully intended, partially intended (as means or steps toward a goal), or not intended at all, even if they are foreseen.

In philosophy of action, an act is intentional when the agent has a mental state—an intention—that commits them to bringing about a certain state of affairs. The intendedness of a consequence depends on its centrality to the agent’s plan: outcomes that are part of the plan are truly intended; outcomes that are not the target but are foreseen or allowed as collateral can be only partially intended.

Ethics and law use intendedness to judge responsibility and liability. The distinction between what is intended and what is merely foreseen informs arguments about moral permissibility, negligence, and the doctrine of double effect. In practice, determining intendedness requires examining the agent’s aims, the structure of their plan, and the causal links from action to outcome.