Dissertation, University of Oxford (2005)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
Consequentialism is often charged with being self-defeating, for if a person attempts to apply it, she may quite predictably produce worse outcomes than if she applied some other moral theory. Many consequentialists have replied that this criticism rests on a false assumption, confusing consequentialism’s criterion of the rightness of an act with its position on decision procedures. Consequentialism, on this view, does not dictate that we should be always calculating which of the available acts leads to the most good, but instead advises us to decide what to do in whichever manner it is that will lead to the best outcome. Whilst it is typically afforded only a small note in any text on consequentialism, this reply has deep implications for the practical application of consequentialism, perhaps entailing that a consequentialist should eschew calculation altogether.
|
Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
Reasons and Persons.Joseph Margolis - 1986 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 47 (2):311-327.
Alienation, Consequentialism, and the Demands of Morality.Peter Railton - 1984 - Philosophy and Public Affairs 13 (2):134-171.
View all 36 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
No citations found.
Similar books and articles
7 Consequentialism.Douglas W. Portmore - 2011 - In Christian Miller (ed.), Continuum Companion to Ethics. Continuum. pp. 143.
Consequentialism and Commitment.Alastair Norcross - 1997 - Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 78 (4):380–403.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2009-01-28
Total views
177 ( #66,120 of 2,504,867 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
5 ( #140,251 of 2,504,867 )
2009-01-28
Total views
177 ( #66,120 of 2,504,867 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
5 ( #140,251 of 2,504,867 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads