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Single Idea 4657

[filed under theme 20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 5. Action Dilemmas / b. Double Effect ]

Full Idea

The doctrine of double effect says (crudely) it is wrong to intentionally do a bad act for its good consequences, but it may be permissible to do a good act despite its foreseeable bad consequences. (..Shoot an innocent man to avoid his agonising death?)

Gist of Idea

Double Effect: no bad acts with good consequences, but possibly good acts despite bad consequences

Source

Jonathan Glover (Causing Death and Saving Lives [1977], §6)

Book Ref

Glover,Jonathan: 'Causing Death and Saving Lives' [Penguin 1982], p.86

A Reaction

Glover rejects this principle, because he is a utilitarian. The principle implies a doubtful sharp distinction between an act and its consequences. If you foresee bad consequences, why do you go ahead and do it? I doubt if there are purely good acts.

The 14 ideas with the same theme [assessing effects against side effects of an act]:

22384 A 'double effect' is a foreseen but not desired side-effect, which may be forgivable [Foot]
22385 The doctrine of double effect can excuse an outcome because it wasn't directly intended [Foot]
22386 Double effect says foreseeing you will kill someone is not the same as intending it [Foot]
22387 Without double effect, bad men can make us do evil by threatening something worse [Foot]
22388 Double effect seems to rely on a distinction between what we do and what we allow [Foot]
22466 We see a moral distinction between our aims and their foreseen consequences [Foot]
22465 We see a moral distinction between doing and allowing to happen [Foot]
22467 Acts and omissions only matter if they concern doing something versus allowing it [Foot]
23578 Double Effect needs a double intention - to achieve the good, and minimise the evil [Walzer]
4657 Double Effect: no bad acts with good consequences, but possibly good acts despite bad consequences [Glover]
6896 Double effect is the distinction between what is foreseen and what is intended [Mautner]
6897 Double effect acts need goodness, unintended evil, good not caused by evil, and outweighing [Mautner]
7293 It is legitimate to do harm if it is the unintended side-effect of an effort to achieve a good [Grayling]
20068 Describing a death as a side-effect rather than a goal may just be good public relations [Stout,R]