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#Post#: 27--------------------------------------------------
Moral Dilemma/Mill's Greatest Happiness Principle
DIR By: FadiElKadi
Date: May 2, 2012, 1:06 pm
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Hi,
I have been reviewing the past exam questions and I would like
some assistance in clarifying one of the questions. It is a
question on Dilemmas.
Why do moral dilemmas pose a problem for moral principles such
as Mill's Greatest happiness principle?
Thanks in advance,
Fadi
#Post#: 28--------------------------------------------------
Re: Moral Dilemma/Mill's Greatest Happiness Principle
DIR By: waveletter
Date: May 4, 2012, 12:10 pm
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Hi Fadi:
Well, in a couple of ways, ethics is not my strength, but I'll
try to explain how I would answer such a question.
To begin with, it's a pretty broad question; you probably can't
answer it fully even if you take the entire three hours. So, you
have to narrow down the focus without diverting too much from
the main point. You could, for example, discuss other moral
principles that philosophers have proposed--something from
Aristotle or Kant, I guess--but since the question mentions
Mill, I would focus in on that. If you haven't been reading
Mill, then you could still probably attempt the question, but
you'd have to signal to the examiners that you're changing the
proposed subject to some principle or set of moral principles
that are related but not suggested. You should probably also
argue at that point that the problem of moral dilemmas applies
with substantial effect to the principles you want to talk about
as well as to Mill's Happiness Principle. These are just some
strategic thoughts about how to tame a tough, too-general
question like this one.
I would then just state Mill's principle and where he proposed
and defended it. I think it was in the second chapter of
Utilitarianism, and I usually try to provide references for when
I paraphrase what some thinker wrote. This shows that you read
the source material--always a good thing by my lights.
Next I would say what a moral dilemma is and give some examples.
You still haven't answered the precise question yet, but you're
setting the foundation for that by defining terms. A standard
example of a moral dilemma is the one that Socrates pointed out
to Cephalus in the first book of the Republic about returning a
borrowed sword and making good on a promise to a friend that had
become a little mentally unstable. But, there are better and
more modern examples as well. Take a look at the Stanford
Encyclopedia page on dilemmas:
HTML http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-dilemmas/
Now you want to say why an actual moral dilemma is a problem for
Mill. There are two ways to go with the moral action in
question, and because the dilemma involves different motivations
and different possible benefactors of the action, it's unclear
whether we are actually maximizing happiness as Mill proposes.
We could maximize it for Cephalus's friend, who gets his sword
back, but then we'd be minimizing it for Cephalus's friend's
neighbor, a rival business owner in the Piraeus, who is going to
get stabbed by Cephalus's wacky friend.
It's good to take some extra steps, even though you've basically
answered the question (maybe). How would a Millian ethicist
respond? One way would be to deny that moral dilemmas actually
exist. I think that Mill was trying to rank moral stipulations
and happiness goals in such a way that one could resolve any
proposed dilemma. And I believe that most moral philosophers
tried to establish principles that were immune to dilemmas or
could show that any proposed dilemmas arose from a too-casual
consideration of motivations, actions, and effects. Here, you're
on you own, and I'm definitely working outside of my customary
philosophical toolset.
An even deeper answer might try to establish some meta-ethical
points, that beyond mere examples moral dilemmas are in fact
unavoidable. I think Marcus argued this in a paper; cf. Mason,
ed. Moral Dilemmas and Moral Theory, Oxford, 1996.
Try to wrap it all up in a conclusion that states your answer to
the precise question. If you practice answering the question a
couple of times before sitting the exam, you'll probably see
your answer evolve. Hope this helps & best of luck! --Ron
#Post#: 29--------------------------------------------------
Re: Moral Dilemma/Mill's Greatest Happiness Principle
DIR By: FadiElKadi
Date: May 5, 2012, 10:53 am
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Hi Ron,
Thanks for the reply.
If I got it right, you mean:
1- Explain moral dilemmas in general
2- Explain Mill's Greatest Happiness Principle
3- Then answer the main question of the 'Problem', which is
basically that if Mill is right the problem lies in the fact
that his principle makes moral dilemmas disappear and thus turns
out not to have been true.
Right?
Thanks again for your assistance and I will need to go over the
links you suggested.
Fadi
#Post#: 30--------------------------------------------------
Re: Moral Dilemma/Mill's Greatest Happiness Principle
DIR By: waveletter
Date: May 5, 2012, 2:47 pm
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Hi Fadi:
You're welcome & I'm glad that I can help out.
Yes, your interpretation is one good approach to the problem.
The existence of genuine moral dilemmas makes the application of
Mill's principle impossible in some cases. In these cases, such
as Cephalus returning the sword, it's impossible to decide whom
to help. If you help one person by giving back the sword, then
you harm yet another person who just might get stabbed. Mill's
principle doesn't work unless there is no moral dilemma riding
on top of the action. Thanks! --Ron
#Post#: 31--------------------------------------------------
Re: Moral Dilemma/Mill's Greatest Happiness Principle
DIR By: FadiElKadi
Date: May 6, 2012, 11:46 am
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Hi Ron,
Thanks for all your help.
Fadi
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