SlideShare uma empresa Scribd logo
1 de 8
Baixar para ler offline
morality and reason
Student: I am having some difficulty understanding Singer's
summary of the classical argument that to act rationally is to act
ethically. I would attempt to paraphrase it as follows: 1.
Universalization, to at least some extent, is essential to ethics. 2.
Reason is universally and objectively valid. Therefore, 3. In acting
rationally, one acts ethically. Does this capture the main idea? [DrC:
Good.]

Student: I also had a question about Singer's subsequent refutation
of this argument. His denial consists in stating that the above
argument is just as compatible with egoism as with disinterested
utilitarianism. But egoism, surely, does not capture the virtues of
ethics, so this argument is invalid. Is that roughly what Singer
means in the subsequent pages? [DrC: Good.]
voluntary euthanasia
Student: In regards to Singer,pg. 197, I
would like to disagree with Dr. Elisabeth
Kubler-Ross's claim that it is possible with
improved care to eliminate pain from the
terminally ill and therefore eliminate the
need for voluntary euthanasia.  I think that
regardless of whether or not someone
'physical' pain is alleviated, that should play
no part in the emotional and psychological
pain a terminally ill individual experiences,
which can at times be far worse than any
physical pain.  I think that the need for
voluntary euthanasia will never be
is value fragmented?
Student: I just read the essay a fragmentation of value by thomas
nagel, i really like it, he uses " exclusionary over-rationalization", a
term delineating those who strive to apply a "complete" all
encompassing moral theory, when in fact none exists, or those that
do are inadequate. I believe he would classify Singer as guilty of
this. For singer preference utilitarianism is a means used to
guide(dictate) action. i believe something along the lines of what
nagel postulates, that value is not reconcilable to one ordinance, it
derives from many separate facets of our being to which one does
not necessarily dominate over the other...

DrC: Thomas Nagel’s essay “the fragmentation of value” is thought-
provoking, I find. It certainly is a challenge to preference
utilitarianism, and to a lesser but still significant degree, to DV
utilitarianism.
morality and rewards

There is absolutely no reason why anyone should act morally if they
do not get any feeling of compassion, satisfactions and rewards
from doing so in our established social norms. A psychopath has no
choice but to do as he pleases since he cannot feel anything and
get any rewards but the unacceptable acts he engages in. I see it
as him possessing an invisible ring where he can do as he pleases
and not get caught (conscience). He has even more right to do as he
pleases especially since life is meaningless as religion being no more
people have nothing to believe in and only find pleasures in their
simple everyday lives. In the long run any atheist would agree life
was a meaningless random arrangement of particles experiencing
itself consciously and subjectively.
morality and rewards
Student: There is absolutely no reason why anyone should act
morally if they do not get any feeling of compassion, satisfactions
and rewards from doing so. A psychopath has no choice but to do as
he pleases since he cannot feel anything and get any rewards but
the unacceptable acts he engages in. I see it as him possessing an
invisible ring where he can do as he pleases and not get caught
(conscience). He has even more right to do as he pleases especially
since life is meaningless as religion being no more people have
nothing to believe in and only find pleasures in their simple
everyday lives.

DrC: You’re alluding to Gyges’ Ring. Let’s discuss that. The original
argument didn’t limit the implications of the Ring to psychopaths. It
was supposed to affect ordinary people. But Plato responded with
an idea akin to Mill’s `higher pleasures’ or the DV idea of symbolic
utility: a deeper self-interest leads one to do the right thing,
despite the temptations of the Ring. Or at least it can and may lead
one to do the right thing. Especially on the DV account, there are
no absolutes here.
symbolic and pschological utility
Student: I know you've had many questions regarding dv
utilitarianism, but I have one more! You actually already answered
this question in class, but I might need your explanation in written
form, as I didn't quite catch everything you said the first time. The
question is: how is symbolic utility different from expected
psychological utility; for example, something that reduces cognitive
dissonance.

DrC: SU attaches to one’s actions: it’s the meaning, expressiveness
or representative character of the deed. It can be compared to the
meaning of a sentence, like “Pass the salt!” The meaning is different
from the sentence’s subsequent effects, even when the effects are
intended, as when someone passes you the salt. Similarly, the
symbolic utility of doing the right thing is different from the
expectation of feeling good about oneself, which would be an
additional, EU reason to do the right thing. Just as the meaning of
a sentence isn’t reducible to what’s going on in a reader’s mind, so
too the meaning of an action isn’t reducible to psychological states.
SU is categorically different from EU, though they’re both utility.
the absurdity of being Canadian
Student: [Consider] the absurdity of discriminating people based on
arbitrary (largely) artificial boundaries (like state, or country lines).
Much like the Singer's argument for not discriminating based on
species membership, I see no morally defensible reasons to refuse
citizenship or refuge to those who need it. Not a day goes by in my
life that I don't ponder the absurdity of having been randomly
thrown into existence in the western world, and in the 21st
century. As absurd as it is that I should be here, it's even more
absurd (to me) to not allow a fellow human who was thrown into
existence elsewhere to not enter my "nation". 

DrC: Absurdity is just the right idea here. It’s a contradiction or
tension between “appearance” and “reality”. The tug of appearance
can be strong and abiding, and it may not be the sort of thing we
can simply toss aside. Maybe the union of Mind and Matter in a
human being is absurd in this sense: mental appearance and
cerebral reality. The absurdity of being Canadian, with all the
specificities that implies, may be like that.
potentiality and experience

 My pmail is in response to Don Marquis' "Why Abortion is Immoral",
 which is I think the first work I have read that defends the anti-
 abortion view. He establishes that it is wrong to take a life because
 of the victim's future dreams, goals, accomplishments, feelings,
 experiences, etc. So anybody who has a future with these
 experiences should not be killed and it would be immoral to do so.
 What troubles me about his argument is that infants have a much
 larger spanning future to come than do anybody older than them,
 say adults or seniors. Since an infant has a larger future that
 would be interrupted than a senior, by Marquis' logic, he would
 have to say it is more immoral to kill the infant than the senior.
 However, if we extend this to fetuses, which he does, a fetus has
 an even longer future to experience, so Marquis would have to hold
 the life of a fetus above all other age groups. His argument seems
 to say that the value of one's life diminishes as one ages, which is
 an unwholesome thought.

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Inspiration Unlimited
Inspiration UnlimitedInspiration Unlimited
Inspiration Unlimitedfahad21
 
IPS Quotations
IPS QuotationsIPS Quotations
IPS Quotationsips08
 
Ips Quotes 2
Ips Quotes 2Ips Quotes 2
Ips Quotes 2ips08
 
What Hope Have We - ASIST theological reflection
What Hope Have We - ASIST theological reflectionWhat Hope Have We - ASIST theological reflection
What Hope Have We - ASIST theological reflectionChristopher Button
 
Ego defense mechnism part 9 projection
Ego defense mechnism part 9 projectionEgo defense mechnism part 9 projection
Ego defense mechnism part 9 projectionCol Mukteshwar Prasad
 
MORAL DEVELOPMENT BY LAWRENCE KOHLBERG
MORAL DEVELOPMENT BY LAWRENCE KOHLBERGMORAL DEVELOPMENT BY LAWRENCE KOHLBERG
MORAL DEVELOPMENT BY LAWRENCE KOHLBERGNandjebo Phellep
 
Social psychology individual assignment 1
Social psychology individual assignment 1Social psychology individual assignment 1
Social psychology individual assignment 1Alexis Wei
 
Bert Hellinger - Love's Own Truths - Bonding and Balancing in Close Relations...
Bert Hellinger - Love's Own Truths - Bonding and Balancing in Close Relations...Bert Hellinger - Love's Own Truths - Bonding and Balancing in Close Relations...
Bert Hellinger - Love's Own Truths - Bonding and Balancing in Close Relations...Family Constellation
 

Mais procurados (14)

Inspiration Unlimited
Inspiration UnlimitedInspiration Unlimited
Inspiration Unlimited
 
IPS Quotations
IPS QuotationsIPS Quotations
IPS Quotations
 
Ips Quotes 2
Ips Quotes 2Ips Quotes 2
Ips Quotes 2
 
What Hope Have We - ASIST theological reflection
What Hope Have We - ASIST theological reflectionWhat Hope Have We - ASIST theological reflection
What Hope Have We - ASIST theological reflection
 
4-16
4-164-16
4-16
 
Methods of philosophizing
Methods of philosophizingMethods of philosophizing
Methods of philosophizing
 
Ego defense mechnism part 9 projection
Ego defense mechnism part 9 projectionEgo defense mechnism part 9 projection
Ego defense mechnism part 9 projection
 
11-7
11-711-7
11-7
 
Conscience
ConscienceConscience
Conscience
 
MORAL DEVELOPMENT BY LAWRENCE KOHLBERG
MORAL DEVELOPMENT BY LAWRENCE KOHLBERGMORAL DEVELOPMENT BY LAWRENCE KOHLBERG
MORAL DEVELOPMENT BY LAWRENCE KOHLBERG
 
Social psychology individual assignment 1
Social psychology individual assignment 1Social psychology individual assignment 1
Social psychology individual assignment 1
 
Bert Hellinger - Love's Own Truths - Bonding and Balancing in Close Relations...
Bert Hellinger - Love's Own Truths - Bonding and Balancing in Close Relations...Bert Hellinger - Love's Own Truths - Bonding and Balancing in Close Relations...
Bert Hellinger - Love's Own Truths - Bonding and Balancing in Close Relations...
 
Reason
ReasonReason
Reason
 
The knower
The knowerThe knower
The knower
 

Destaque (7)

382 july12
382 july12382 july12
382 july12
 
Feb22 -- Singer, et al
Feb22 -- Singer, et alFeb22 -- Singer, et al
Feb22 -- Singer, et al
 
Singer Preface About Ethics
Singer Preface About EthicsSinger Preface About Ethics
Singer Preface About Ethics
 
Mar22
Mar22Mar22
Mar22
 
British Education
British EducationBritish Education
British Education
 
Visual Artist Nabeel Muaddi
Visual Artist Nabeel MuaddiVisual Artist Nabeel Muaddi
Visual Artist Nabeel Muaddi
 
Power of the home
Power of the homePower of the home
Power of the home
 

Semelhante a Apr12

Moment Of Conception
Moment Of ConceptionMoment Of Conception
Moment Of ConceptionDiana Oliva
 
Human Freedom; Orthodox Trotskyism/Orthodox One World Government, Democracy, ...
Human Freedom; Orthodox Trotskyism/Orthodox One World Government, Democracy, ...Human Freedom; Orthodox Trotskyism/Orthodox One World Government, Democracy, ...
Human Freedom; Orthodox Trotskyism/Orthodox One World Government, Democracy, ...Mimic Octopus Man
 
The Importance Of JesusMoral Authority In The Church
The Importance Of JesusMoral Authority In The ChurchThe Importance Of JesusMoral Authority In The Church
The Importance Of JesusMoral Authority In The ChurchAndrea Lee
 
Art Beauty And Evil
Art Beauty And EvilArt Beauty And Evil
Art Beauty And EvilStacey Cruz
 
Ethical Values And Moral Values
Ethical Values And Moral ValuesEthical Values And Moral Values
Ethical Values And Moral ValuesSamantha Caldwell
 
Relativism And Moral Absolutism
Relativism And Moral AbsolutismRelativism And Moral Absolutism
Relativism And Moral AbsolutismAshley Davis
 
What Does Moral Relativism Means
What Does Moral Relativism MeansWhat Does Moral Relativism Means
What Does Moral Relativism MeansMandy Cross
 
Disability, Hysteria, and Environmental IllnessMy rank as a .docx
Disability, Hysteria, and Environmental IllnessMy rank as a .docxDisability, Hysteria, and Environmental IllnessMy rank as a .docx
Disability, Hysteria, and Environmental IllnessMy rank as a .docxsalmonpybus
 
06 human freedom
06   human freedom06   human freedom
06 human freedomPeter Miles
 
The Crux Of Singers Argument Of Moral Equality
The Crux Of Singers Argument Of Moral EqualityThe Crux Of Singers Argument Of Moral Equality
The Crux Of Singers Argument Of Moral EqualityKari Jorgenson
 

Semelhante a Apr12 (20)

Moment Of Conception
Moment Of ConceptionMoment Of Conception
Moment Of Conception
 
Moral Panics
Moral PanicsMoral Panics
Moral Panics
 
UCSP-Q2.pptx
UCSP-Q2.pptxUCSP-Q2.pptx
UCSP-Q2.pptx
 
Human Freedom; Orthodox Trotskyism/Orthodox One World Government, Democracy, ...
Human Freedom; Orthodox Trotskyism/Orthodox One World Government, Democracy, ...Human Freedom; Orthodox Trotskyism/Orthodox One World Government, Democracy, ...
Human Freedom; Orthodox Trotskyism/Orthodox One World Government, Democracy, ...
 
Tok Emotion Essay
Tok Emotion EssayTok Emotion Essay
Tok Emotion Essay
 
Apr5
Apr5Apr5
Apr5
 
The Importance Of JesusMoral Authority In The Church
The Importance Of JesusMoral Authority In The ChurchThe Importance Of JesusMoral Authority In The Church
The Importance Of JesusMoral Authority In The Church
 
Art Beauty And Evil
Art Beauty And EvilArt Beauty And Evil
Art Beauty And Evil
 
What Makes Art Art Essay
What Makes Art Art EssayWhat Makes Art Art Essay
What Makes Art Art Essay
 
Essay About Multitasking
Essay About MultitaskingEssay About Multitasking
Essay About Multitasking
 
Ethical Values And Moral Values
Ethical Values And Moral ValuesEthical Values And Moral Values
Ethical Values And Moral Values
 
Relativism And Moral Absolutism
Relativism And Moral AbsolutismRelativism And Moral Absolutism
Relativism And Moral Absolutism
 
What Does Moral Relativism Means
What Does Moral Relativism MeansWhat Does Moral Relativism Means
What Does Moral Relativism Means
 
Deviant Behavior And Its Effects On Society
Deviant Behavior And Its Effects On SocietyDeviant Behavior And Its Effects On Society
Deviant Behavior And Its Effects On Society
 
L5 Human Freedom.pptx
L5 Human Freedom.pptxL5 Human Freedom.pptx
L5 Human Freedom.pptx
 
Disability, Hysteria, and Environmental IllnessMy rank as a .docx
Disability, Hysteria, and Environmental IllnessMy rank as a .docxDisability, Hysteria, and Environmental IllnessMy rank as a .docx
Disability, Hysteria, and Environmental IllnessMy rank as a .docx
 
Examples Of Subjective Ethics
Examples Of Subjective EthicsExamples Of Subjective Ethics
Examples Of Subjective Ethics
 
06 human freedom
06   human freedom06   human freedom
06 human freedom
 
The Crux Of Singers Argument Of Moral Equality
The Crux Of Singers Argument Of Moral EqualityThe Crux Of Singers Argument Of Moral Equality
The Crux Of Singers Argument Of Moral Equality
 
Essay About Defining Politics
Essay About Defining PoliticsEssay About Defining Politics
Essay About Defining Politics
 

Mais de Cooper Wesley (12)

382final
382final382final
382final
 
382 july12 4
382 july12 4382 july12 4
382 july12 4
 
382 july 12 2
382 july 12 2382 july 12 2
382 july 12 2
 
382 july12
382 july12382 july12
382 july12
 
382 july5
382 july5382 july5
382 july5
 
Utilitas
UtilitasUtilitas
Utilitas
 
Mar29
Mar29Mar29
Mar29
 
Mar15
Mar15Mar15
Mar15
 
Boncop
BoncopBoncop
Boncop
 
Feb1
Feb1Feb1
Feb1
 
Jan25 Singer Rachels Nagel
Jan25 Singer Rachels NagelJan25 Singer Rachels Nagel
Jan25 Singer Rachels Nagel
 
18 Jan
18 Jan18 Jan
18 Jan
 

Apr12

  • 1. morality and reason Student: I am having some difficulty understanding Singer's summary of the classical argument that to act rationally is to act ethically. I would attempt to paraphrase it as follows: 1. Universalization, to at least some extent, is essential to ethics. 2. Reason is universally and objectively valid. Therefore, 3. In acting rationally, one acts ethically. Does this capture the main idea? [DrC: Good.] Student: I also had a question about Singer's subsequent refutation of this argument. His denial consists in stating that the above argument is just as compatible with egoism as with disinterested utilitarianism. But egoism, surely, does not capture the virtues of ethics, so this argument is invalid. Is that roughly what Singer means in the subsequent pages? [DrC: Good.]
  • 2. voluntary euthanasia Student: In regards to Singer,pg. 197, I would like to disagree with Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's claim that it is possible with improved care to eliminate pain from the terminally ill and therefore eliminate the need for voluntary euthanasia.  I think that regardless of whether or not someone 'physical' pain is alleviated, that should play no part in the emotional and psychological pain a terminally ill individual experiences, which can at times be far worse than any physical pain.  I think that the need for voluntary euthanasia will never be
  • 3. is value fragmented? Student: I just read the essay a fragmentation of value by thomas nagel, i really like it, he uses " exclusionary over-rationalization", a term delineating those who strive to apply a "complete" all encompassing moral theory, when in fact none exists, or those that do are inadequate. I believe he would classify Singer as guilty of this. For singer preference utilitarianism is a means used to guide(dictate) action. i believe something along the lines of what nagel postulates, that value is not reconcilable to one ordinance, it derives from many separate facets of our being to which one does not necessarily dominate over the other... DrC: Thomas Nagel’s essay “the fragmentation of value” is thought- provoking, I find. It certainly is a challenge to preference utilitarianism, and to a lesser but still significant degree, to DV utilitarianism.
  • 4. morality and rewards There is absolutely no reason why anyone should act morally if they do not get any feeling of compassion, satisfactions and rewards from doing so in our established social norms. A psychopath has no choice but to do as he pleases since he cannot feel anything and get any rewards but the unacceptable acts he engages in. I see it as him possessing an invisible ring where he can do as he pleases and not get caught (conscience). He has even more right to do as he pleases especially since life is meaningless as religion being no more people have nothing to believe in and only find pleasures in their simple everyday lives. In the long run any atheist would agree life was a meaningless random arrangement of particles experiencing itself consciously and subjectively.
  • 5. morality and rewards Student: There is absolutely no reason why anyone should act morally if they do not get any feeling of compassion, satisfactions and rewards from doing so. A psychopath has no choice but to do as he pleases since he cannot feel anything and get any rewards but the unacceptable acts he engages in. I see it as him possessing an invisible ring where he can do as he pleases and not get caught (conscience). He has even more right to do as he pleases especially since life is meaningless as religion being no more people have nothing to believe in and only find pleasures in their simple everyday lives. DrC: You’re alluding to Gyges’ Ring. Let’s discuss that. The original argument didn’t limit the implications of the Ring to psychopaths. It was supposed to affect ordinary people. But Plato responded with an idea akin to Mill’s `higher pleasures’ or the DV idea of symbolic utility: a deeper self-interest leads one to do the right thing, despite the temptations of the Ring. Or at least it can and may lead one to do the right thing. Especially on the DV account, there are no absolutes here.
  • 6. symbolic and pschological utility Student: I know you've had many questions regarding dv utilitarianism, but I have one more! You actually already answered this question in class, but I might need your explanation in written form, as I didn't quite catch everything you said the first time. The question is: how is symbolic utility different from expected psychological utility; for example, something that reduces cognitive dissonance. DrC: SU attaches to one’s actions: it’s the meaning, expressiveness or representative character of the deed. It can be compared to the meaning of a sentence, like “Pass the salt!” The meaning is different from the sentence’s subsequent effects, even when the effects are intended, as when someone passes you the salt. Similarly, the symbolic utility of doing the right thing is different from the expectation of feeling good about oneself, which would be an additional, EU reason to do the right thing. Just as the meaning of a sentence isn’t reducible to what’s going on in a reader’s mind, so too the meaning of an action isn’t reducible to psychological states. SU is categorically different from EU, though they’re both utility.
  • 7. the absurdity of being Canadian Student: [Consider] the absurdity of discriminating people based on arbitrary (largely) artificial boundaries (like state, or country lines). Much like the Singer's argument for not discriminating based on species membership, I see no morally defensible reasons to refuse citizenship or refuge to those who need it. Not a day goes by in my life that I don't ponder the absurdity of having been randomly thrown into existence in the western world, and in the 21st century. As absurd as it is that I should be here, it's even more absurd (to me) to not allow a fellow human who was thrown into existence elsewhere to not enter my "nation".  DrC: Absurdity is just the right idea here. It’s a contradiction or tension between “appearance” and “reality”. The tug of appearance can be strong and abiding, and it may not be the sort of thing we can simply toss aside. Maybe the union of Mind and Matter in a human being is absurd in this sense: mental appearance and cerebral reality. The absurdity of being Canadian, with all the specificities that implies, may be like that.
  • 8. potentiality and experience My pmail is in response to Don Marquis' "Why Abortion is Immoral", which is I think the first work I have read that defends the anti- abortion view. He establishes that it is wrong to take a life because of the victim's future dreams, goals, accomplishments, feelings, experiences, etc. So anybody who has a future with these experiences should not be killed and it would be immoral to do so. What troubles me about his argument is that infants have a much larger spanning future to come than do anybody older than them, say adults or seniors. Since an infant has a larger future that would be interrupted than a senior, by Marquis' logic, he would have to say it is more immoral to kill the infant than the senior. However, if we extend this to fetuses, which he does, a fetus has an even longer future to experience, so Marquis would have to hold the life of a fetus above all other age groups. His argument seems to say that the value of one's life diminishes as one ages, which is an unwholesome thought.

Notas do Editor