PHL275H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Consequentialism, Food Bank, Mushroom Cloud
Document Summary
Utilitarianism can be considered objectionable because: its too simple. One moral principle is not enough to determine right and wrong: too impractical . Because it holds to know what righteousness is, one must know what extent each act considered may have. However, knowing absolutely every potential consequence from every potential course of action is nigh impossible on an individual level. Answers to moral questions depend upon (dif cult) predictions on the future; without these predictions, one cannot know what is right and thus cannot be righteous: the objection also applies to other moral theories. Any moral theory, including one that denies the right act is always the one with the best consequences, will think that one moral demand is to bring about satisfying consequences (ross" theory) Therefore, all moral theories are subject to this dif culty: however, if dif culty went too far, another serious problem would arise, where right and wrong are completely unknown to all.
