Preference Util

Question 1

robert solomon on singer

Answer 1

“Singer in his emphasis on reason… underestimates the power of compassion”

–>cambodian soldiers example

Question 2

two upsides of hare’s ethic

Answer 2

1. evades problem of subjective good and happiness

2. distinction between the two types of thinking is useful

Question 3

criticisms of Hare

Answer 3

1. Williams: people often prefer the wrong thing; illogical that morality should be based on preference alone; quantifying utility is now the problem of prioritising preferences
2. morality is multi-dimensional - past histories and experiences are not taken into account thoroughly

Question 4

mulhall?

Answer 4

personhood is in itself an ethical notion; analysing it while staying morally neutral is “mad conceptual science”

Question 5

GRISEZ

Answer 5

utilitarianism confuses practical judgements with moral ones

Question 6

Bernard Williams on Singer

Answer 6

util has ‘too few feelings and thoughts to match the world as it really is’

Question 7

Berkowitz

Answer 7

Singer fails by his own standards (because of his mother)