Exploring Virtue and Consequentialism in Normative Ethics
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Dive into the intersection of virtues and consequentialist theories in normative ethics, including Kantianism, contractarianism, and virtue-consequentialism. Discover how Objectivist Consequentialism by Peter Railton sheds light on conflicts between virtues and ecological problems, and the importance of virtues like mindfulness in addressing modern challenges.
Exploring Virtue and Consequentialism in Normative Ethics
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Normative Ethics Section 5 Practice-consequentialism and Virtue-consequentialism
Normative Theory and Virtue Normative theories, other than virtue ethics, can accommodate virtues. Such theories include: • Kantianism • contractarianism • consequentialism.
Consequentialism & Virtue • Virtue-consequentialism as an expansion of practice-consequentialism. • The consequentialist account of virtues does not mean that all virtuous actions are right. • Some acts may be virtuous yet wrong.
Objective consequentialism (OC) Peter Railton: • OC does not require one to use consequentialist criteria for run-of-the-mill decisions. • OC can justify adherence to relationships & to dispositions (such as virtues).
Conflicts • Virtues can conflict. • E.g. veracity & fidelity. • Can appeal to consequentialist criteria to resolve conflicts.
Ecological Problems and Virtue Dale Jamieson: • green virtues • consequentialist grounds for defending such virtues.
The Precautionary Principle • Where there is reason to believe there is a risk of serious irreversible harm, scientific uncertainty does not count as a reason against intervention. • For better to follow this Principle than adopt the vague virtue of caution.
Possible Problem • Virtues may not be accompanied by practical wisdom, moral awareness or moral imagination. Consider how the virtue of practical wisdom has become more relevant in the face of ecological & technological problems.
Mindfulness Mindfulness (commended by Jamieson): • a virtue that partly corresponds to Aristotelian practical wisdom. • a disposition that’s compatible with making the world a better place.