PHIL 1104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Act Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics
Document Summary
P1: if it is in our power to prevent something very bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything morally significant, we ought, morally, to do it (wsp) P2: suffering and death caused by famine and destitution are very bad. P3: if we gave up luxuries that we take for granted then we could prevent suffering and death caused by famine and destitution from happening in less affluent parts of the world. C: morally, we ought to give up luxuries to prevent very bad things happening in less affluent parts of the world. Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or anyone else"s, never merely as a means, but also always as an end. Two parts to this: cannot use other people as a mere means: do they have genuine choice about their involvement, must treat humanity (rational nature) as an end in itself, to be furthered and realized.
