It's The Thought That Counts

The phrase 'It's the thought that counts' is usually a reaction to someone's attempt to help or benefit someone else that falls short of a hoped-for result. A formal version of the attitude expressed in the phrase is Kant's Moral theory. Kant believed that Piety is the most important moral characteristic, and, so, devises a system in which value attaches first and foremost to the intention behind an action. Opposing Kant in this respect is Mill's Utilitarianism, which places the greatest moral significance on the consequences of an action, on how much happiness it leads to. So, on the Utilitarian analysis, 'It's the thought that counts' is not an expression of moral praise, but one of forgiveness, that implicitly praises only the happiness that would have resulted if the intention had been successfully carried out. On the other hand, the Kantian can argue that there is nothing praiseworthy, as the Utilitarian would have it, about acts that unwittingly or coincidentally lead to happiness. One patch of common ground in this debate is that neither attributes Moral worth to the actual performance an act, e. g. whether it is carried out gracefully or clumsily. But this point of agreement serves as a reminder of the artificiality of the entire debate. For, intention-performance-consequence forms a continual process, with respect to which any phase in isolation is a mere abstraction. Plainly, what would be best would be a caring intention, a graceful performance, and a happy consequence. So, the intention and the consequence in themselves each fall short of ultimate moral worth, acquiring derivative worth only depending on circumstances.