Not A Poll: Does Motivation Affect Morality?

[Aroura]

The problem I see here is that although it feels obvious to link motives with morality, motives are internal and invisible to others, unless you do or say something to make them obvious.

If there is a god that can read your mind, then motive counts. If not....doesn't only the outcome matter?

If a starving person stole from me, I would like to think I would be understanding. But if some rich bratty teen stole the exact same amount or item from me, does he actually deserve to be punished more just because he did it for giggles, and not to feed his starving kid or something? Can we correctly ascertain motive? Perhaps the rich kid is neglected at home, has massive pressure put on him, and suffers from reckless behavior due to it. Should the starving guy be forgiven, and the suffering teen not, just because society is ok with viewing one as a victim and the other as a brat?

I don't know. These aren't easy questions with easy answers. But I will say that personally, motive is only a small part of how I view the morality of those around me.

My hubby bought me a message for mothers day. I know, deep down, he's partly motivated to do this so he can score bedroom points for later. Should I penalize him because his motive was at least partly selfish, or should I just enjoy my message and attention from my husband? Hmmmm