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Single Idea 23740
[filed under theme 20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 3. Acting on Reason / a. Practical reason
]
Full Idea
The distinctive Humean view of normative reasons for action is that the rational thing for an agent to do is simply to act so as to maximally satisfy her desires, whatever the content of those desires.
Gist of Idea
Humeans take maximising desire satisfaction as the normative reasons for actions
Source
Michael Smith (The Moral Problem [1994], 5.1)
Book Ref
Smith,Michael: 'The Moral Problem' [Blackwell 1994], p.130
A Reaction
Smith disagrees with this view (though he agrees with Hume about motivating reasons). An obvious problem for the Humean view would be a strong desire to do something excessively dangerous.
Related Idea
Idea 23733
Motivating reasons are psychological, while normative reasons are external [Smith,M]
The
20 ideas
from Michael Smith
23728
|
Analysis aims to express the full set of platitudes surrounding a given concept
[Smith,M]
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23723
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In the Humean account, desires are not true/false, or subject to any rational criticism
[Smith,M]
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23724
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A pure desire could be criticised if it were based on a false belief
[Smith,M]
|
23727
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Expressivists count attitudes as 'moral' if they concern features of things, rather than their mere existence
[Smith,M]
|
23729
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Moral internalism says a judgement of rightness is thereby motivating
[Smith,M]
|
23730
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'Rationalism' says the rightness of an action is a reason to perform it
[Smith,M]
|
23731
|
'Externalists' say moral judgements are not reasons, and maybe not even motives
[Smith,M]
|
23732
|
A person could make a moral judgement without being in any way motivated by it
[Smith,M]
|
23733
|
Motivating reasons are psychological, while normative reasons are external
[Smith,M]
|
23736
|
A person can have a desire without feeling it
[Smith,M]
|
23735
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Subjects may be fallible about the desires which explain their actions
[Smith,M]
|
23738
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Humeans (unlike their opponents) say that desires and judgements can separate
[Smith,M]
|
23739
|
Goals need desires, and so only desires can motivate us
[Smith,M]
|
23740
|
Humeans take maximising desire satisfaction as the normative reasons for actions
[Smith,M]
|
23741
|
Is valuing something a matter of believing or a matter of desiring?
[Smith,M]
|
23742
|
If first- and second-order desires conflict, harmony does not require the second-order to win
[Smith,M]
|
23746
|
Objective reasons to act might be the systematic desires of a fully rational person
[Smith,M]
|
23744
|
Defining a set of things by paradigms doesn't pin them down enough
[Smith,M]
|
23743
|
Capturing all the common sense facts about rationality is almost impossible
[Smith,M]
|
23745
|
We cannot expect even fully rational people to converge on having the same desires for action
[Smith,M]
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