famine relief Flashcards
1
Q
consequentialism
A
- looking for best overall outcome
- you ought to relieve suffering
- core argument is that if one can use one’s wealth to reduce suffering without any significant reduction in the well-being of oneself or others, it is immoral not to do so
- singer’s drowning child argument, does distance make a difference? if so, why?
- extreme consequentialism = robustly demanding on the affluent, minimally demanding on vulnerable
- moderate consequentialism = minimally demanding on affluent, relentlessly demanding on the vulnerable
2
Q
virtue ethics
A
- ought to provide famine relief under VE, generosity is a stipulated virtue. to not help is to sacrifice one’s own flourishing
- VE says the virtuous person will reliably do the right thing and help those in need
- Generous, virtuous person will donate appropriately. crucially because they want to help
- in VE, individuals will evaluate actions based on whether they reflect the cultivation of virtuous qualities and contribute to overall flourishing of individuals and communities
- virtuous traits that come into play: compassion/empathy, justice/fairness, humility
3
Q
formula of humanity
A
- famine relief does not involve treating someone as a mere means or involve lying/coercion/failure to respect dignity, therefore nothing about kantian view is completely prescriptive
- kantian ethics would not consider failing to give aid as a violation of a perfect duty, but famine aid would stand very high among duties of beneficence because famine victims cannot pursue their own ends
- therefore to help support autonomy and inherent dignity, Kant would urge us to help but it is not explicitly required
4
Q
formula of universal law
A
- in terms of famine relief your action will depend on urgency, cost and exclusivity for kant
- saving drowning child would be a stringent duty
- famine relief would be a stringent collective duty (does not fall on the individual)
- depends on how you define the maxim, for example saying you ought to help others when it does not require great personal sacrifice would make famine relief necessary.
- maxim does not appear to lead to any logical contradiction
- seems ethically and logically consistent with categorical imperative
