Ideas from 'A Critique of Utilitarianism' by Bernard Williams [1973], by Theme Structure

[found in 'Utilitarianism For and Against' by Smart,J./Williams,B. [CUP 1978,0-521-09822-x]].

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22. Metaethics / B. Value / 1. Nature of Value / f. Ultimate value
Maybe the unthinkable is a moral category, and considering some options is dishonourable or absurd
                        Full Idea: One might have the idea that the unthinkable was itself a moral category. ...Regarding certain things even as alternatives is itself something to be regarded as dishonourable or morally absurd.
                        From: Bernard Williams (A Critique of Utilitarianism [1973], 2)
                        A reaction: He's very tentative about this, but I think it is a powerful moral idea. See Kekes. He is particularly aiming at utilitarians, who happily assess vile possibilities.
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / g. Consequentialism
Consequentialism assumes that situations can be compared
                        Full Idea: The emphasis on the necessary comparability of situations is a peculiar feature of consequentialism in general.
                        From: Bernard Williams (A Critique of Utilitarianism [1973], 2)
                        A reaction: A nice point. Utilitarians might achieve comparison by totting up the happiness in each situation, but once you include the consequences of the consequences the problems are obvious. Was 1789 a good thing? Too early to say.
For a consequentialist massacring 7 million must be better than massacring 7 million and one
                        Full Idea: Making the best of a bad job is a consequentialist maxim, and it will have something to say even pn the difference between massacring seven million and massacring seven million and one.
                        From: Bernard Williams (A Critique of Utilitarianism [1973], 2)
                        A reaction: If every life counts, the consequentialists have got something right here. Not caring exactly how many were massacred is a sort of callousness (even when the number can't be established).
23. Ethics / D. Deontological Ethics / 3. Universalisability
We don't have a duty to ensure that others do their duty
                        Full Idea: If the goodness of the world were to consist in people's fulfilling their obligations, it would by no means follow that one of my obligations was to bring it about that other people kept their obligations
                        From: Bernard Williams (A Critique of Utilitarianism [1973], 2)
                        A reaction: If the maxim of my action is 'ensure that everyone does their duty', presumably that can be universalised. Nelson thought so. It just sounds like a hideous world of self-righteous interference.
23. Ethics / E. Utilitarianism / 1. Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism cannot make any serious sense of integrity
                        Full Idea: Utilitarianism cannot hope to make sense, at any serious level, of integrity.
                        From: Bernard Williams (A Critique of Utilitarianism [1973], 1)
                        A reaction: There will be obvious problems with this. 'My whole platoon got killed, but looking on the bright side, I preserved my integrity'. Once a theory commits entirely to one value, it then has no way to make sense of rival values.