All questionsEthics & Morality
What makes an action morally right or wrong?
Moral theories disagree about whether rightness depends on consequences, duties, virtues, or care.
Why this question matters
This question sits behind everyday decisions, public policy, and ethical dilemmas.
Context and background
- Consequentialists prioritize outcomes.
- Kantian theories prioritize duties and respect.
- Virtue ethics asks what a wise and good person would do.
Different perspectives
Deontological
Some actions are right or wrong because of duty, not only results.
Immanuel Kant
Utilitarian
Moral choices should reduce suffering and increase well-being overall.
Jeremy BenthamJohn Stuart Mill
Care ethics
Relationships, dependence, and response to need are central moral facts.
Carol GilliganNel Noddings
“Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”
Immanuel Kant
“We are what we repeatedly do.”
Aristotle
Think about it
- Can a harmful act be right if it prevents worse harm?
- Are motives or results more important?
- What moral rule would you not want universalized?