I am continuing my reading into Intro to Moral Philosophy and have reached the chapter on Utilitarianism. Reading through it I promptly started nodding my head and thought, "Yes, that sounds a lot like me." I was particularly familiar with Act Utilitarianism and I suspect that I fall into that category.
That being said, I haven't gotten to the next and later chapters about other moral philosophies so it is quiet possible that I fall into another category. But right now I would say that I'm an Act Utilitarian.
A thought has occurred to me that I might change my philosophy after reading about other ones, so I'll be sure to keep you all posted.
3 comments:
I've accused you of being Utilitarian before. Be warned, it's not a very solid, humane, or practical philosophy. Unfortunately Canadians in general are very utilitarian, to the point where regularly they accept personal injustice for the greater "social good".
If you live by a pure utilitarian code you're in trouble. Use it as a general guide, but augment it somehow.
I'm not saying "I am Utilitarian", I'm saying I recognize behaviours and beliefs in myself that seem very utilitarian. Having not gotten to the other systems I do not know the other options yet.
I would argue that Canadians approach things the way you suggested in your last paragraph, Andrew. They use utilitarianism as a general guide, but augment it.
The beauty of utilitarianism is that it is flexible enough to augment in this fashion. Thus it serves as an ideal philosphical starting point that can be built upon to reflect the unique cultural and personal needs of individuals.
Good luck on your philosophical journey, Bill. I admire your ability to examine your beliefs in depth. A lot bloggers would benefit from such introspection. (Yes, probably me too.)
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