Abstract

DITTRICH, Alexandre. Consequence analysis as a procedure in ethical decision making. Perspectivas [online]. 2010, vol.1, n.1, pp. 44-54. ISSN 2177-3548.

Decision making behavior involves looking for resources which allows us to guess about the possible consequences of our courses of action. Ethical decisions demand such guessing as well. In this article, we propose consequence analysis as a procedure which can systematize and facilitate this kind of guessing. We suggest four steps for the consequence analysis procedure: (1) to categorize de consequences; (2) to define persons or groups affected; (3) to define the selective effects of the consequences; (4) to define a timeline of consequences. We conclude the article discussing possible limitations of the procedure.

Keywords : consequence analysis; decision making behavior; ethics; behavior analysis.

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