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Simply appealing to consequences or intent in ethics, as far as argumentation goes, is fine. It's how you do it that could be fallacious. For instance, the consequences of X do not determine whether or not X is true. X is true on its own, empirical merits. So saying "everyone has the potential to be a genius because if this were not the case, things would be terribly unfair" is a fallacious appeal to consequences, but "we should develop a genius-building programme because it would massively improve social welfare" is a valid appeal to consequences (there is an entire ethical framework based around this thought; it's called consequentialism). As for intent, it may or may not be irrelevant. For instance, if I knock down and kill someone's child while driving, my 'intent' does not change the loss suffered by the family of the victim. Appealing to intent when it does not tangibly change matters would thus be a red herring. However, intent can be taken into account normatively (most ethical frameworks, including deontology and virtue ethics, see intent as fundamental, and consequentialists can accommodate an instrument account of intent as long as doing so is conducive to the 'greater good'). When people say 'two wrongs don't make a right', I think they are suggesting that two wrongs do not automatically make a right. As in, someone else's wrongdoing does not imply it is ethical for oneself to do wrong. It would need to be argued that something done in response to another's actions is justified. |
answered on Friday, Nov 25, 2022 04:35:13 AM by TrappedPrior (RotE) | |
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