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20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 5. Action Dilemmas / a. Dilemmas

[situations with conflicting motives to act]

12 ideas
A man should sooner die than do some dreadful things, no matter how cruel the death [Aristotle]
Moral questions can only be decided by common opinion [Hume]
There is no restitution after a dilemma, if it only involved the agent, or just needed an explanation [Foot, by PG]
I can't understand how someone can be necessarily wrong whatever he does [Foot]
Many ethical theories neglect the power of regretting the ought not acted upon [Williams,B]
A problem arises in any moral system that allows more than one absolute right [Glover]
After a moral dilemma is resolved there is still a 'remainder', requiring (say) regret [Hursthouse]
Deontologists resolve moral dilemmas by saying the rule conflict is merely apparent [Hursthouse]
Involuntary actions performed in tragic dilemmas are bad because they mar a good life [Hursthouse]
You are not a dishonest person if a tragic dilemma forces you to do something dishonest [Hursthouse]
Errors in moral practice might be inconsistent or inappropriate principles, or inappropriate application [LaFollette]
We can discuss the criteria of a judgment, or the weight given to them, or their application [LaFollette]