PP223 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Cilice
Document Summary
A perfect duty is one that admits no exceptions- you must always do it (or never do it) to the fullest extent possible. An imperfect duty is one that does allow some exceptions. 145: suffering and death from lack of food, shelter and medical care are bad. This is too drastic a revision of our moral scheme: collapse the distinction between killing & letting die (fuzzy or direct line, let the argument take us where it will. Utilitarianism suggests we should be working full time to increase the balance of happiness over misery. If we wear ourselves out from overwork, we shall be less effective that we would otherwise have been: not making a hair-shirt argument, aggressive in what we give. Aid should be a government responsibility: governments take their cue from us, more aid is required than any person or government can provide.
