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Full Idea
Consequentialism may be put forward not as an attempt to capture intuitive folk morality but rather as a critique of ordinary tuitions.
Gist of Idea
Maybe consequentialism is a critique of ordinary morality, rather than describing it
Source
Gilbert Harman (Moral Philosophy meets social psychology [1999], 10.1)
Book Ref
Harman,Gilbert: 'Explaining Value and Other Essays' [OUP 2000], p.165
A Reaction
It is certainly true that most people are concerned with why an action was performed, and (after initial anger) are prepared to forgive an unintended disaster. We have no moral objections to earthquakes, which have bad consequences.
5122 | Maybe consequentialism is a critique of ordinary morality, rather than describing it [Harman] |
5123 | Maybe there is no such thing as character, and the virtues and vices said to accompany it [Harman] |
5124 | If a person's two acts of timidity have different explanations, they are not one character trait [Harman] |
5125 | Virtue ethics might involve judgements about the virtues of actions, rather than character [Harman] |