PHIL 2750 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Starbucks, Psychological Egoism

• School: University of Manitoba
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 2750
• Professor: Robert J.Leland

Document Summary

But, this does not mean that everything of value is a cost/beneit. Further, even if something is of intrinsic value, we can sill consider costs/beneits. Conlicts of value require resoluion (this is unavoidable) Ex: if you are starving and you have an expensive paining, you should sell the paining even if it is of intrinsic value. Cost-beneit analysis itself does not determine what is a cost/beneit. Ex: child falls down a well and it sill alive. People shouldn"t argue about cost-beneit analysis so much, they should be arguing about the ethical theory. Even if we defend the use of cost-beneit analysis, it does not eliminate need for other elements of policy making. Cost-beneit analysis is an art; qualitaive vs. quanitaive values; incommensurable values. Incommensurable values: cost-beneit analysis is a response to the tragic choices the world foists on us. Ex: sophie"s choice; view is opposite of nussbaum.