PHIL 201 Lecture : Taurek and Parfit
Document Summary
Tark-numbers-when you make decisions based on a higher number, you might be basing it on something that is immorally irrelevant ground. A drug can either save one person or five people. The obvious thing would be to save the 5. But what if it turns out that that is not based on any good justification. His conclusion is that numbers shouldn"t matter here. P. 941 first argument-i own the drug, i can either save one or five. But the difference is that i know the one person. I am morally permitted to save david-the one. Than there must not be a moral obligation to save the 5. If i am permitted to act on my preference. Which is to save david, than it must imply that there is no obligation to save the greater number. The reason why this is true, is because you cant override obligations with preferences. Obligations are not that easily overridden, only by greater obligations.
