PHLA11H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Experience Machine, Consequentialism
Document Summary
The morally right act is the act that will produce the greatest sum of pleasure minus pain. A challenge to hedonism: argues that something else matters to us other than how much pleasure and pain we experience. Two options: argue that nozick is incorrect and that hedonism is true after all, adjust their view adopt a broader view than hedonism about the good. Today"s lecture focus on the consequentialist component of utilitarianism. The too high for humanity" objection (last tuesday"s lecture) It is exacting too much to require that people shall always act from the inducement of promoting the general interests of society. (p. 175) Suppose that a person must choose between two courses of action: a and b. The right thing to do is act a. It would be morally wrong to do act b: even though, really, b is more equal. A does give more good but two people have to suffer for the good of four.
