What do u think this statement means"the moral status of an action resides in the motives of the agent"

Question

Pls help me.. its important

Answer 1

This is a very popular view point often linked to deontologists, it basically means whether an action is right or wrong is not dependent upon the consequences of the action but is judged by the intentions of the person doing the action. This is directly opposed to the utilitarian view that only consequences matter, and is summed up by the popular proverb there are no perfect actions only perfect intentions.

Despite what some have answered regarding Kant he would in part agree with this statement the consequences of any specific act were for Kant irrelevant just as the statement suggests only for Kant it was necessary for an action to meet the criteria of the categorical imperative, about which this quote says nothuing. The statement makes to claims to the intrinsic worth of actions only that what makes them moral is the intentions, though when examined in depth this view point has flaws, it does also raise some vaid points. For instance if one saved as life merely so one could better ones own position would this be morally right most would feel it would be wrong to treat people as a means to an end. Kant especially believed that people were ends in themselves. Also lying to save a life though lying is generally considered morally reprehensible in this case would be considered morally justified. This type of morality is a type of situation ethics, where the motives for an action need to be assessed on an individual basis. This system is also employed to an extent in legal ethics, else self defence would never be a defence to a murder charge there are many more examples of society endorsing this view. At the end however like most system of ethics its not without its faults and no definitive universally accepted system has yet been devised.

Answer 2

Just break down the question: The moral status of a action (the morality of the action); resides in the motives of the agent (is based on the persons motives). So in essense, morals are a personal, subjective belief in what you are doing is right (or wrong). Your moral belief my deem that an action is wrong, but the person who made that action my feel they are acting morally correct. A bit like the saying - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Answer 3

I think it means that a person has to 'want' to do the right thing simply because it is right, rather than a person just doing the right thing because it suits them.

for example. If a man walks down the street and sees a woman being harrassed by another man and he intervenes, then this is only a truly moral action if he's doing it because he feels it is important to do the right thing. If he stops the other man harrassing the woman because he wants to harass her himself then in essence he is still doing a good deed but for an imorral reason therefore the action becomes imorral.

Answer 4

the reason the person did what they did makes the outcome/action good or bad. hope that helped =D

for example if someone robs a shop to get some money to pay for their dying sisters medical treatment...as the intention was good - to get money to pay for the medical treatments - then the crime of robbery can be forgotten. but i wouldnt say therefore the robbery is good.

the loophole is that if someone murders someone because the person they murdered happened to rape their sister...then its a matter of what a person would say the intention is. some people say revenge is bad therefore he should be punished and others would be saying he was protecting the world from this man so his intention was good.

thats why we have the law to deal with the tricky stuff of morals lol.

=D

Answer 5

Lingering chaos and Bobby have pretty much got it the moral worh of an action if it is right or wrong is down to the reasons why the person did what they did. Not a carte blanche for murder or anything else for that matter!

Answer 6

The statement suggests that there cannot be any intrinsically right or wrong actions from a moral standpoint. therefore i can murder someone but because my motive for murder was morally justified (for whatever reason). My action is therefore morally justifyable.
I suggest you read Kant on the categorical imperative

Answer 7

It means that what makes an action moral or imoral is the intention behind the action.

Under this philosophy,you can't do the right thing for the wrong reasons. If your reasons are wrong, the action is wrong.

Answer 8

Pakistanis be bothered by India fixation. for each crime, they think Indian effect. If the Lankan cricketers are attacked by ability of LTTE extremists of their u . s . a ., there is an Indian effect. If their team loses a adventure or 2, there is an Indian effect, If the minister's spouse gets pregnant, he will suspect an Indian effect. we would desire to constantly forget approximately such nonsense and pass forward in construction human beings to human beings kin.

Answer 9

It means that morality is determined by intention.

If you want to do good for someone, your action is morally good.

If you want to harm someone, your action is morally wrong.

Answer 10

Actions are considered right or wrong based on the reason why a person would do it in the first place.