The optionality of supererogatory acts is just what you think it is: a reply to Benn

Philosophical Studies 179 (7):2155-2166 (2021)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

As standardly understood, for an act to be optional is for it to be permissible but not required. Supererogatory acts are commonly taken to be optional in this way. In “Supererogation, Optionality and Cost”, Claire Benn rejects this common view: she argues that optionality so understood—permissible but not required—cannot be the sort of optionality involved in supererogation. As an alternative, she offers a novel account of the optionality of supererogatory acts: the “comparative cost” account. In this paper, we rebut Benn’s objection to the common view that supererogation involves optionality as standardly understood. We also point out that her objection, if it worked, would equally undermine her own comparative cost proposal.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Supererogation, optionality and cost.Claire Benn - 2018 - Philosophical Studies 175 (10):2399-2417.
Supererogation and sequence.Adam Bales & Claire Benn - 2020 - Synthese 198 (8):7763-7780.
Is supererogation more than just costly sacrifice?Elizabeth Drummond Young - 2015 - Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 77:125-140.
Supererogation.Alfred Archer - 2018 - Philosophy Compass 13 (3):e12476.
Self-regarding supererogatory actions.Jason Kawall - 2003 - Journal of Social Philosophy 34 (3):487–498.
Why Proximity Matters for the Concept of Supererogation.Simone Grigoletto - 2017 - Etica and Politica / Ethics and Politics 19 (1):291-307.
Supererogation, Imperfect Duty and the Structure of Moral Action.Jon J. Scott - 1995 - Dissertation, University of Ottawa (Canada)
Are Intuitions of Supererogation Redoubtable?A. W. J. Jech - 2008 - Southwest Philosophy Review 24 (1):79-86.
Supererogation in clinical research.Deborah R. Barnbaum - 2008 - Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 11 (3):343-349.
The Impossibility of Supererogation in Kantian Moral Theory.Daniel Edward Guevara - 1992 - Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles

Analytics

Added to PP
2022-03-11

Downloads
23 (#584,666)

6 months
3 (#447,120)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author Profiles

Iskra Fileva
University of Colorado, Boulder
Jon Tresan
University of Rochester

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Supererogation, optionality and cost.Claire Benn - 2018 - Philosophical Studies 175 (10):2399-2417.

Add more references