After reading few pages of Ayn Rand, I am certain now that I shouldnt be a consequentialist.
Now, I wouldnt say I am very certain, but here is what I think.
People have life, freedom, pain, happiness..
It shouldnt be violated to uphold someone else's rights.
If person has right to live, by logic you cannot kill him even if it saves 5 people.
If person has right to painless life, you cannot cause him pain even if causing him pain prevents pain of millions of other people.
Now, of course, there are exceptions, but it does sound like a fine rule to go for to achieve it in greatest possible level.
Now, there is a difference between not causing pain and preventing pain, as causing pain requires you to exist to cause it, so not causing pain just means not to add to pain, where preventing pain means to act to prevent it.
So this moral system is based on lack of action like "dont cause pain". Its not based on preventing pain like "act to prevent pain".
You can not cause pain while not preventing any pain either.
