Susan Wolf

Question 1

What is a rational saint?

Answer 1

People with non-moral/selfish desires, but don’t act on them because of their strong sense of duty

Question 2

What is a loving saint?

Answer 2

Someone whose own well-being is maximized by the maximization of other’s well-being, and is always striving to do the right thing

Question 3

What does Wolf think of ration & loving saints?

Answer 3

She believes moral ideas set up like Utilitarianism and Deontology are unattractive ideals

Question 4

What moral ideal do rational saints follow?

Answer 4

Deontology (Kant)

Question 5

What moral ideal do loving saints follow?

Answer 5

Utilitarianism (Mill)

Question 6

What are Susan Wolf’s arguments against moral sainthood?

Answer 6

1. Moral virtues crowd our non-moral virtues
2. They’re boring
3. Motivating structure is alienating

Question 7

How do Susan Wolf’s arguments apply to moral sainthood?

Answer 7

1. Some non-moral virtues will be completely off the table because they conflict with the moral virtues (Ex/ having a good sense of humor means you need to have a little bit of immorality)
2. A Moral Saint has to be very, very nice and not be offensive. They’ll have to be humorless or bland. Nice people are DULL.
3. A Moral Saint may have hobbies, passions, commitments, but will have to give them up as soon as they conflict with morality