konsekvensfria

Konsekvensfria is a term used in Swedish-language ethical discussions to describe actions, policies, or conditions that are expected to have no significant observable consequences. The word combines konsekvens (consequence) with fri (free), yielding "consequence-free." In usage, it denotes outcomes that are negligible in scope, time, or impact, such that they do not alter the surrounding context.

In philosophy, the concept is often invoked to probe whether moral evaluation should depend solely on outcomes. Proponents of deontological or rule-based ethics may classify konsekvensfria acts as morally neutral or trivial, while critics argue that even seemingly insignificant actions can have indirect or long-term effects.

Examples include theoretical actions that are contained within a closed system, or everyday decisions with such small immediate effects that they are treated as negligible. In policy and risk analysis, a "konsekvensfria" option would be one whose expected value is statistically indistinguishable from zero for all relevant stakeholders.

Challenges include the difficulty of proving a lack of consequences, the possibility of unforeseen indirect effects, and the debate over whether non-consequentialist duties can apply to ostensibly consequence-free acts. As a category, konsekvensfria actions are thus treated with caution in ethical analysis.

See also: Consequentialism, deontology, moral responsibility, risk assessment.