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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.
| 22458 | Consequentialists can hurt the innocent in order to prevent further wickedness [Foot] |
| 22459 | For consequentialism, it is irrational to follow a rule which in this instance ends badly [Foot] |
| 22460 | Why might we think that a state of affairs can be morally good or bad? [Foot] |
| 22461 | Good outcomes are not external guides to morality, but a part of virtuous actions [Foot] |
| 22462 | We should speak the truth, but also preserve and pursue it [Foot] |
| 22463 | Morality is seen as tacit legislation by the community [Foot] |
| 22464 | The idea of a good state of affairs has no role in the thought of Aristotle, Rawls or Scanlon [Foot] |