Doing the right thing can be hard to define. It may depend on why you did it, how it affected others, or the situation in which you were in. For example, stealing to feed your family might be the right thing to do, but stealing from other people would be wrong. Similarly, raping and killing are not the right things to do.
Does consequences matter?
The morality of an action depends on whether its consequences benefit all sentient beings, or only a limited group. While benefits to a single person may be morally important, they do not necessarily matter more than benefits to other people. This idea is known as agent-neutrality. The moral value of an action depends solely on its consequences, and it does not matter from what point of view it is performed.
Consequentialism, on the other hand, holds that actions have consequences. These consequences may be good or bad. Consequences can include anything from spreading happiness, relieving suffering, creating as much freedom as possible, or promoting the survival of the species. This view is also called utilitarianism.
Utilitarianism treats consequences as a set of values. According to consequentialism, the sum of all good outcomes from a certain action is valued. This means that every single action has consequences. Consequences include the sum of goods and services created by an action. However, it does not consider the totality of these consequences.
Does doing the right thing always make sense?
When we talk about doing the right thing, we often refer to doing what is right in our own eyes. But sometimes this can be difficult to do. For example, you may think that it is right to help someone who needs help, but do it in the wrong way. The wrong thing may be the best thing, but it may not be the best thing in the long run.
Do the right thing