Seuraamusetiikka

Seuraamusetiikka (Finnish for consequentialism) is an ethical theory that evaluates the moral rightness of actions solely by their outcomes. According to this view, an action is morally right if it produces desirable consequences and wrong if it leads to undesirable ones, with no intrinsic moral value assigned to actions independently of their effects.

The approach emphasizes consequential assessment over intentions, duties, or inherent virtues. It requires a criterion for what counts as a desirable consequence; common metrics include happiness, welfare, preference satisfaction, or overall utility. Different formulations vary by which outcomes matter and whose interests are included in the calculation.

Major variants include utilitarianism, which seeks the greatest good for the greatest number; ethical egoism, which prioritizes the agent’s own long-term interests; and rule consequentialism, which judges rules by the goodness of their consequences when generally followed rather than individual acts. Act consequentialism evaluates each act case by case.

Strengths of seuraamusetiikka include its practical orientation, flexibility, and focus on measurable results, which can aid policy and decision-making. Criticisms point to problems such as demandingness, difficulties in predicting consequences, potential to justify rights violations, and neglect of moral intentions or justice considerations.

Seuraamusetiikka has influenced moral philosophy, public policy, economics, and bioethics, and remains a central framework for debates about how best to weigh outcomes in ethical reasoning.