PHIL 230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: John Stuart Mill, Consequentialism
1 Apr 2019
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37 at the top: reading for thursday - 37-38, 44-45. To help us understand the nature of good/bad, right/wrong. To help us find principles/rules about living in the right way. To clarify important concepts such as dignity and justice. So: we tie our evaluation of the decision to (a) the outcome or (b) to the process. On (a), we judge a decision good if it promotes a good result or outcome. On (b), we judge a decision good if the decision-making process what"s good, apart from the outcome. The distinction between (a) and (b) applies in morality as well. Racism is wrong because it causes harm to people. Racism is wrong because it is a biased form of thinking. Consequentialism = what makes an action right or wrong are the consequences it produces. Right action = action with good consequence: wrong action = action with bad consequence. Define right & wrong in terms of good or bad outcomes.
