The Importance of Intention in Morality

In the history of philosophy before this free spirit, morality was often considered in terms of intent. So if you intended to do something that was considered evil, then you would be criticized for it according to the criterion of morality as it has been established. Now when morality enters the picture and this whole emphasis on intention kicks in, now suddenly the actions of the hawk can be interrogated - did you intend to inflict harm to the rabbit? This reflects a certain impetus in the moral tradition to understand actions and by understanding the impetus behind them,. Then therefore understanding whether or not they are good or evil.