Does it matter if you do the right thing for the wrong reason?

[jay gw]

Doing the right thing
Doing the right thing the right way
Doing the right thing the right way for the right reasons

Does it affect the consequences or perception of an action if the right thing has been done the wrong way and for the wrong reasons?

It occurs to me that many times the right action is clear far before the right way and right reasons become clear, if they ever do. By the time they become clear, the action has already been taken.

-

[TobiasTheViking]

<kosh>YES</kosh>

Lennier: If you do the right thing for the wrong reasons the work becomes corrupted, impure and ultimately self-destructive. Ambassador Kosh wishes confirmation that the right people are in the right place at the right time.

http://www.jumpnow.de/s/221

[Taffer]

It depends. To me, I don't feel satisfied if I do the 'right' thing for the 'wrong' reason. However, sometimes it's better for everyone to do so. Case in point: "Do I look fat in this?"

[drkitten]

Doing the right thing
Doing the right thing the right way
Doing the right thing the right way for the right reasons

Does it affect the consequences or perception of an action if the right thing has been done the wrong way and for the wrong reasons?

The purely physical consequences of an action are not usually affected by the mental state of the actor; if I put arsenic in your coffee, it doesn't matter if I thought I was putting sugar or not -- the toxicological effects will be exactly the same. (And ditto if I put sugar in, thinking I was giving you arsenic.)

How other people perceive your actions are of course somewhat dependent upon your reasons; that's why lawyers recognize the concept of mens rea. If I thought I was putting sugar in your coffee, but gave you arsenic instead, I would probably not be prosecuted for murder. And if I thought I was giving you arsenic and gave you sugar, I could still be prosecuted for attempted murder.

[dakotajudo]

Does it affect the consequences or perception of an action if the right thing has been done the wrong way and for the wrong reasons?

I think the more important factor may be repeatability (which, I guess, may be part of consequences).

Doing the right thing, based on a flaw process - the wrong way - may happen once, but can you rely on the process to get do the right thing in the future?

[Oxymoron]

This reminds me of my ethics class and the whole "greater good" discussion. My professor was a Jesuit priest by the way, which I found interesting. I suppose it comes down to this, at least for me:

If you do anything the wrong way, your result is going to be less than what is ideal, unless that is the intention.
If you do it the right way, the result will be ideal. If again, that is the intention.

If you do something the right way, for the wrong reasons, I believe the result will still be ideal, and the motivation only matters to those who know.

Now the question I would have to pose to myself is, can I live with doing this thing for the wrong reason, and can others who know my motivation live with it as well.
Does that make any sense?

[Skeptic]

It depends. To me, I don't feel satisfied if I do the 'right' thing for the 'wrong' reason. However, sometimes it's better for everyone to do so. Case in point: "Do I look fat in this?"

That's a case of doing the right thing for the right reason, though, isn't it? You are, after all, saving a life by lying...

[zizzybaluba]

Homer: There's only three ways to do things. The right way, the wrong way, and the Homer Simpson way!
Bart: Isn't that the wrong way?
Homer: Yeah, but faster!

Sorry, I couldn't help myself :D

[EGarrett]

Religion, and most other great wrongs, start out as right done the wrong way.

For example, dictatorship starts out as trying to organize the group (a right), by giving total control to a single person (wrong way to do it)...

[Marc L]

If you're talking basic ethical behavior, then, in my opinion, there is no 'wrong' reason. For example, does it matter if you only give to Toys for Tots because your office will reward you? Of course not. You are not, in my opinion, a schmuck because you only did something nice because of a promised reward.

Now, if you feel like a schmuck because you only did something nice because of a promised reward, then that's on you. If it'll make you feel better to return said reward, depending on it's monetary value, please forward said reward to Marc L, c/o USS LOLLIPOP :D.

Marc

[infornography]

Depends on why and from whose perspective.

There are too many variables for me to pin down an answer for you.