Consequentialism

Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act (or omission from acting) is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. In an extreme form, the idea of consequentialism is commonly encapsulated in the English saying, "the end justifies the ", meaning that if a goal is morally important enough, any method of achieving it is acceptable.