Final answer:
Nonconsequentialist moral theories determine the morality of an action based on adherence to duties or moral rules, rather than the consequences of the actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nonconsequentialist moral theories assert that an action is right not because of what it produces, but because of factors such as the action's adherence to a set of rules or duties, or the inherent morality of the action itself.
In deontological ethics, a subset of nonconsequentialist theories, the consequences of an action are generally irrelevant to moral assessment. Instead, morality is determined by whether the action adheres to moral rules or duties that are considered binding.
These duties are often derived from rational principles or divine revelations and advocate for morality based on rational agents recognizing and adhering to their duties toward others, rather than the outcomes those actions produce.