Kavatsusliku

Kavatsusliku is a hypothetical concept in moral philosophy and cognitive science that centers on the role of intention in evaluating actions. The term is derived from the Estonian kavatsus, meaning intention, with the suffix -liku forming an adjective used in analytic discussions. Kavatsusliku describes a normative framework in which deliberate intention is considered essential to moral assessment, alongside or above outcomes.

Proponents argue that assessing moral worth should start with the agent's aims, beliefs, and decisions, provided those aims are formed under reasonable knowledge and sincerity. The framework emphasizes criteria such as clarity of intent, awareness of potential consequences, and alignment between stated aims and actions. Contextual factors like constraints, miscommunication, and inadvertent errors are acknowledged as potentially mitigating or aggravating.

Applications include ethical analysis of policy proposals, legal reasoning about mens rea, and debates in AI ethics about intended function versus actual effects. Some defenders claim kavatsusliku helps distinguish negligent or malicious actions from well-meaning but flawed ones, while critics warn that overemphasizing intention can excuse harmful outcomes or be difficult to verify.

Evaluation: The term remains largely theoretical and informal, with limited mainstream adoption. It is frequently discussed in speculative ethics forums and some analytic philosophy texts exploring the limits of intention-based moral judgment.

See also: intentionality, moral responsibility, consequentialism, mens rea, moral luck.