Utilitarianism and consequentialism are terms often encountered when studying moral philosophy. Sometimes, people employ them as if they were synonyms. Although these ethical theories appear to be twins upon first inspection, further exploration reveals significant differences. We’re going to break down these two theories, examine their connection, and identify where they diverge. By the end of this post, you should understand exactly what each theory holds and why it matters.   What Is Consequentialism? Allegory of Justice Triumphing Over War and Wealth, Francesco Solimena, c. 1685, via Lempertz   Consequentialism can be boiled down to a simple idea: an action’s morality is determined solely by its results. If an action leads to good results, it is morally right. If it leads to harmful ones, it is morally wrong.   Consequentialism holds that whether an action is moral does not depend on what your intention was or whether you were following a rule; all that matters is the outcome. This is why people sometimes express the idea of consequentialism with the phrase, “the ends justify the …