ABSTRACT
Consequentialists accept a simple theory of the right. There is one and only one factor that has any intrinsic moral significance in determining the status of an act: the goodness of that act's consequences. The moral status of an act depends not only on the goodness of its results, but also on whether or not it involves doing harm to someone. Many people believe on reflection that harm doing is a factor of intrinsic normative significance; the fact that an act involves doing harm provides a reason not to perform that act. Despite their differences, moderate and absolutist deontologists are alike in believing that harm doing is a factor with intrinsic normative significance. It is only if this factor has normative weight in its own right that there can be any kind of constraint against doing harm.
