PHI 4311 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Barter, Development Aid, Contractualism
13 Nov 2014
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Document Summary
Wenar what we owe to distant others. Examination of: how much sacrifice from the affluent is required for the poor to benefit (normative question, how rich individuals can effectively promote the long-term welfare of the poor (empirical) Attempt to answer the question of our moral obligation to distant people (rich west to the poor) 1- scanlon"s contractualism: our fundamental moral obligation is that our moral obligations are justifiable to others, contrast to utilitarianism (wenar says it is contrasting to contractualism) Capaicty to rationally direct one"s own life rather than pursuing pleasure: contractualism tracks the value of poepl e rather than the value in people, the fundamental moral bligations that people have. 1- disadvantage one can reasonably reject a principle if it would leave some badly off and there is an alternative which would leave people less badly off. 2- sacrifice a principle which requires too great a sacrifice based on the small benefit to others can be rejected.
