Introduction to Consequentialism
781 بار بازدید -
3 سال پیش
-
This video is part of
This video is part of both Peter Singer's Practical Ethics class (Practical Ethics Course) and his Effective Altruism class (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list....
Normative Ethical Theories
What is the right thing to do? When we try to answer that question we have to decide what we consider to be morally relevant. Say, for instance, that a terrorist has planted a bomb that will destroy most of New York. The terrorist has been captured, but he won’t reveal the location of the bomb unless he is tortured. Would torture be permissible in this situation? One person might say: “Yes, go ahead! The consequences of not torturing the terrorist would be much worse than having him suffer.” Another might say: “No, there are some rules that we are never allowed to break, and the rule against torture is one of them.”
These two answers differ not only in their view of torture, but more fundamentally in their view of what is morally relevant. They correspond to two prominent theories of ethics: Consequentialism, or more specifically utilitarianism, asks us to consider the outcomes of our actions, while deontology sees morality as a set of rules, principles or duties. We will look at some of the strengths of these theories, as well as some of the criticisms that have been raised against them.
Key Concepts and Questions
As you read and watch the videos this week, keep an eye out for the following key concepts:
- Hedonistic and preference utilitarianism
- Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick
- Act and rule utilitarianism
- Consequentialism and deontology
- Immanuel Kant and the Categorical Imperative
- Are there any exceptionless moral rules?
- Natural law ethics
- John Finnis
- W. D. Ross and prima facie or pro tanto duties
Normative Ethical Theories
What is the right thing to do? When we try to answer that question we have to decide what we consider to be morally relevant. Say, for instance, that a terrorist has planted a bomb that will destroy most of New York. The terrorist has been captured, but he won’t reveal the location of the bomb unless he is tortured. Would torture be permissible in this situation? One person might say: “Yes, go ahead! The consequences of not torturing the terrorist would be much worse than having him suffer.” Another might say: “No, there are some rules that we are never allowed to break, and the rule against torture is one of them.”
These two answers differ not only in their view of torture, but more fundamentally in their view of what is morally relevant. They correspond to two prominent theories of ethics: Consequentialism, or more specifically utilitarianism, asks us to consider the outcomes of our actions, while deontology sees morality as a set of rules, principles or duties. We will look at some of the strengths of these theories, as well as some of the criticisms that have been raised against them.
Key Concepts and Questions
As you read and watch the videos this week, keep an eye out for the following key concepts:
- Hedonistic and preference utilitarianism
- Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick
- Act and rule utilitarianism
- Consequentialism and deontology
- Immanuel Kant and the Categorical Imperative
- Are there any exceptionless moral rules?
- Natural law ethics
- John Finnis
- W. D. Ross and prima facie or pro tanto duties
3 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1400/12/17 منتشر شده
است.
781
بـار بازدید شده