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Single Idea 4126

[filed under theme 22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / i. Prescriptivism ]

Full Idea

Hare's version of utilitarianism requires an agent to abandon any deeply held principle or conviction if a large enough aggregate of contrary preferences, of whatever kind, favours a contrary action.

Gist of Idea

If we have to want the preferences of the many, we have to abandon our own deeply-held views

Source

comment on Richard M. Hare (Moral Thinking: Its Levels,Method and Point [1981]) by Bernard Williams - Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy Ch.5

Book Ref

Williams,Bernard: 'Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy' [Fontana 1985], p.86

A Reaction

This nicely attacks any impersonal moral theory, whether it is based on reason or preferences. But where did my personal ideals come from?

The 17 ideas with the same theme [morality is our assertion of universal duties]:

5168 Moral approval and disapproval concerns classes of actions, rather than particular actions [Ayer]
22331 Moral statements are imperatives rather than the avowals of emotion - but universalisable [Hare, by Glock]
22484 Universalised prescriptivism could be seen as implying utilitarianism [Hare, by Foot]
2855 In primary evaluative words like 'ought' prescription is constant but description can vary [Hare, by Hooker,B]
4125 Hare says I acquire an agglomeration of preferences by role-reversal, leading to utilitarianism [Hare, by Williams,B]
4126 If we have to want the preferences of the many, we have to abandon our own deeply-held views [Williams,B on Hare]
4127 If morality is to be built on identification with the preferences of others, I must agree with their errors [Williams,B on Hare]
22483 A judgement is presciptive if we expect it to be acted on [Hare]
2703 Descriptivism say ethical meaning is just truth-conditions; prescriptivism adds an evaluation [Hare]
2704 If morality is just a natural or intuitive description, that leads to relativism [Hare]
2707 If there can be contradictory prescriptions, then reasoning must be involved [Hare]
2708 An 'ought' statement implies universal application [Hare]
2709 Prescriptivism sees 'ought' statements as imperatives which are universalisable [Hare]
2711 Prescriptivism implies a commitment, but descriptivism doesn't [Hare]
4134 The weakness of prescriptivism is shown by "I simply don't like staying at good hotels" [Williams,B]
2865 Critics of prescriptivism observe that it is consistent to accept an ethical verdict but refuse to be bound by it [Blackburn]
2854 Prescriptivism says 'ought' without commitment to act is insincere, or weakly used [Hooker,B]