ISBN:
9789400945708
Language:
English
Pages:
Online-Ressource (264p)
,
digital
Edition:
Springer eBook Collection. Humanities, Social Sciences and Law
Series Statement:
Philosophical Studies Series in Philosophy 35
Series Statement:
Philosophical Studies Series 35
Parallel Title:
Erscheint auch als
Parallel Title:
Erscheint auch als
Parallel Title:
Erscheint auch als
Keywords:
Philosophy (General)
;
Ethics
Abstract:
One/Absolute Moral Obligation -- 1. Utilitarian Foundations -- 2. A Theory of Moral Obligation -- 3. Moral Objections to MO -- Two/Iffy Oughts -- 4. Basic Iffy Oughts -- 5 Hypothetical Imperatives -- 6. Defeasible Commitment and Prima Facie Obligation -- Three/Extensions -- 7. Individual Obligation and Group Welfare -- 8. What Ought to be -- 9. Conflicts of Obligation -- 10. Conclusions -- Notes -- Index of Names -- Index of Subjects.
Abstract:
Several years ago I came across a marvelous little paper in which Hector-Neri Castaneda shows that standard versions of act utilitarian l ism are formally incoherent. I was intrigued by his argument. It had long seemed to me that I had a firm grasp on act utilitarianism. Indeed, it had often seemed to me that it was the clearest and most attractive of normative theories. Yet here was a simple and relatively uncontrover sial argument that showed, with only some trivial assumptions, that the doctrine is virtually unintelligible. The gist of Castaneda's argument is this: suppose we understand act utilitarianism to be the view that an act is obligatory if and only if its utility exceeds that of each alternative. Suppose it is obligatory for a certain person to perform an act with two parts - we can call it 'A & B'. Then, obviously enough, it is also obligatory for this person to perform the parts, A and B. If act utilitarianism were true, we appar ently could infer that the utility of A & B is higher than that of A, and higher than that of B (because A & B is obligatory, and the other acts are alternatives to A & B).
DOI:
10.1007/978-94-009-4570-8
URL:
Volltext
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