PHL373H1 Lecture 12: PHL373 Lecture 12 Korsgaard
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
1
PHL373 Lecture 12 Korsgaard
Recap
- Basic Structure:
• P1: Under ordinary circumstances it is morally impermissible to kill and eat
humans.
• P2: P1 is true in virtue of some intrinsic property of an individual.
- C1: Therefore it is morally impermissible to kill and eat any being with that
intrinsic property.
• Candidate Properties:
- Capacity to feel pleasure and pain
- Being a subject-of a life
- the capacity for ends (goals/needs)
- Attacks on ethical vegetarianism come from P2 (Cohen, Diamond)
Korsgaard
A. The source of moral value is our rational nature
B. Rational nature, by its very nature, values animal nature.
Therefore, all beings with an animal nature have moral value.
- Value starts from autonomous choice and then get transferred into the world. Each
step along the way, the thing the autonomous choice chooses becomes valuable.
• When I value satisfying my hunger, I am valuing my animal nature. (Premise A)
- It is therefore rational to value animal nature.
- This is a Kantian theory: rational nature in and of itself cannot not value itself
(Formula of humanity comes from this). You are treating others by which he
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Basic structure: p1: under ordinary circumstances it is morally impermissible to kill and eat humans, p2: p1 is true in virtue of some intrinsic property of an individual. C1: therefore it is morally impermissible to kill and eat any being with that intrinsic property: candidate properties: Attacks on ethical vegetarianism come from p2 (cohen, diamond) Korsgaard: the source of moral value is our rational nature, rational nature, by its very nature, values animal nature. Therefore, all beings with an animal nature have moral value. Value starts from autonomous choice and then get transferred into the world. Each step along the way, the thing the autonomous choice chooses becomes valuable: when i value satisfying my hunger, i am valuing my animal nature. (premise a) It is therefore rational to value animal nature. This is a kantian theory: rational nature in and of itself cannot not value itself (formula of humanity comes from this).
