From Neighbor-Love to Utilitarianism, and Back: Uncovering Some Structures and Dynamics for Ethical Theory
Contrasting loving our neighbors with utilitarians' demand to maximize good reveals important metatheoretic structures and dynamics that I call virtuesbasing, input drive, role centering, and patient focus. First, love (good will) is a virtue; such virtues are foundational to both moral obligat...
| Published in: | Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[2015]
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| In: |
Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association
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| RelBib Classification: | NCB Personal ethics NCC Social ethics VA Philosophy |
| Further subjects: | B
Motivation (Psychology)
B RELIGION & ethics B Duty B Patients Psychology B Utilitarianism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Contrasting loving our neighbors with utilitarians' demand to maximize good reveals important metatheoretic structures and dynamics that I call virtuesbasing, input drive, role centering, and patient focus. First, love (good will) is a virtue; such virtues are foundational to both moral obligations and the impersonally valuable. Second, part of loving is acting lovingly. Whether and how I act lovingly, and how loving it is, is a matter of motivation; this input-driven account contrasts with highlighting actions outcome. Third, in regarding someone as our neighbor we view her in relation to ourselves; a role-centered perspective shows that a wide range of person-to-person role-relationships constitute moral life. Fourth, if our moral task is loving each person, the moral question is how we respond to each persons relevant welfare and needs, focusing on those toward someone acts (moral patients), not on maximizing good across persons or producing an optimal world. |
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| ISSN: | 2153-7925 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American Catholic Philosophical Association, Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.5840/acpaproc20174246 |