Telos

In ancient Greek, the ultimate end, purpose, or goal of an action is referred to as the telos of an action.  In moral philosophy, and in philosophy generally, the term is still employed.

Broadly speaking, teleological accounts of ethics focus on means and ends of human action.  On this view an action – regarded as a means – is determined to be right or wrong according to its success or failure in achieving an end.  Consequentialism is a paradigmatic example of teleological ethics.

As an example, consider utilitarianism, widely regarded as the most plausible form of consequentialism.  Utilitarianism identifies pleasure, or happiness, as the ultimate end of human actions.  Thus, actions are judged to be right or wrong on the basis of the amount of pleasure or happiness they bring about.  Right actions are those that bring about pleasure, while those actions that bring about suffering are regarded as wrong.

Ultimate ends are also referred to as intrinsic goods, and contrasted with instrumental goods, which are obtained in order to reach intrinsic goods.  Money, for example, is a good, but it is typically regarded as an instrumental good.  Having money helps or enables a person to reach an intrinsic good (happiness, for example), but money itself is not an intrinsic good.

In addition to this general use of the term, telos is also often associated with Aristotle, who thought that the ultimate end, or telos, of human life is happiness (eudaimonia).