Philosopher: An action is morally good if it both achieves the agent’s intended goal and benefits someone other than the agent.
Which one of the following judgments most closely conforms to the principle cited by the philosopher?
A． Colin chose to lie to the authorities questioning him, in an attempt to protect his friends. The authorities discovered his deception and punished Colin and his friends severely. But because he acted out of love for his friends, Colin’s action was morally good.
B． Derek prepared a steak dinner to welcome his new neighbors to the neighborhood. When they arrived for dinner, Derek found out that the newcomers were strict vegetarians. Though the new neighbors were still grateful for Derek’s efforts to welcome them, Derek’s action was not morally good.
C． Ellen worked overtime hoping to get a promotion. The extra money she earned allowed her family to take a longer vacation that year, but she failed to get the promotion. Nevertheless, Ellen’s action was morally good.
D． Louisa tried to get Henry into serious trouble by making it appear that he stole some expensive clothes from a store. But the store’s detective realized what Louisa did, and so Louisa was punished rather than Henry. Since she intended to harm Henry, Louisa’s action was not morally good.
E． Yolanda took her children to visit their grandfather because she wanted her children to enjoy their vacation and she knew they adored their grandfather. The grandfather and the children all enjoyed the visit. Though Yolanda greatly enjoyed the visit, her action was morally good.