I've watched all this series of lectures - it really grinds my gears when Professor Talbot presents a thought experiment and the audience attack the premises every time... rather than face the actual intuitions the experiment is trying to draw out. Every time.
I see what you mean but its better that than being passive and afraid to be critical. The master has failed more times than the beginner has tried after all.
I recognize utilitarianism is a very usefull set of rules in a negative connotation...It becomes less obvious in a more positive context (e.g. helping a particular person vs. helping a number of people).
Concerning absolute moral duty and lying. "Lying" comes from Judo-Christian theology and is a contraction of Lying-in-wait meaning ambushing or digging a pit for another person. The truth biblical is God. Therefore in the case of a Nazi searching for Jews the true answer would be to tell him that there are not Jews here preventing him from shedding innocent blood in violation of Psalm 1 and Numbers 35. Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws on England, Book 1, Sec. “2 Of the Nature of Laws in general, ” page 41 states "This law of nature, being co-eval with mankind and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times: no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this; and such of them as are valid derive all their force, and all their authority, mediately or immediately, from this original." and in the forth book which is criminal law, Blackstone said that the highest crime is treason against God while treason against the king was second.
I've watched all this series of lectures - it really grinds my gears when Professor Talbot presents a thought experiment and the audience attack the premises every time... rather than face the actual intuitions the experiment is trying to draw out. Every time.
I see what you mean but its better that than being passive and afraid to be critical. The master has failed more times than the beginner has tried after all.
I just fast-forward past the audience questions. I began to realize none is helpful at all, so the dialogues that follow them are useless.
Im gonna use this in my exam the day after tomorrow!!
I recognize utilitarianism is a very usefull set of rules in a negative connotation...It becomes less obvious in a more positive context (e.g. helping a particular person vs. helping a number of people).
Am I right to say utilitarianism is taking actions with less collateral damages
Concerning absolute moral duty and lying. "Lying" comes from Judo-Christian theology and is a contraction of Lying-in-wait meaning ambushing or digging a pit for another person. The truth biblical is God. Therefore in the case of a Nazi searching for Jews the true answer would be to tell him that there are not Jews here preventing him from shedding innocent blood in violation of Psalm 1 and Numbers 35.
Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws on England, Book 1, Sec. “2 Of the Nature of Laws in general, ” page 41 states "This law of nature, being co-eval with mankind and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times: no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this; and such of them as are valid derive all their force, and all their authority, mediately or immediately, from this original." and in the forth book which is criminal law, Blackstone said that the highest crime is treason against God while treason against the king was second.
The opposite of utilitarianism is tribalism ;)