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Full Idea
It would be irrational to obey even the most useful rule if in a particular instance we clearly see that such obedience will not have the best results.
Gist of Idea
For consequentialism, it is irrational to follow a rule which in this instance ends badly
Source
Philippa Foot (Utilitarianism and the Virtues [1985], p.62)
Book Ref
Foot,Philippa: 'Moral Dilemmas' [OUP 2002], p.62
A Reaction
This is the simple reason why attempts at rule utilitarianism always lead back to act utilitarianism. Another way of putting it is that a good rule can only be assessed by the outcomes of individual acts that follow it.
6697 | Moral rules protecting human welfare are more vital than local maxims [Mill] |
22459 | For consequentialism, it is irrational to follow a rule which in this instance ends badly [Foot] |
3787 | Rule-utilitarianism is either act-utilitarianism, or not really utilitarian [Glover] |
20884 | Rule-utilitarians prevent things like torture, even on rare occasions when it seems best [Hooker,B] |