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Easy to say, but in the real world there is a conflict between values and results. Values don’t need protection, they are intangible. In the end what you are pr
by matte_black 9y ago
Easy to say, but in the real world there is a conflict between values and results. Values don’t need protection, they are intangible. In the end what you are protecting is people.
- catawbasam 9y agoPeople must speak up for values and ideals. Otherwise their power will fade. Results without values are hollow.
- jacquesm 9y agoWhile utilitarian arguments can be a factor in an ethical framework they are not beneficial in isolation and will lead to grave injustices. If protecting people would be the real goal then many actions that were committed ostensibly for 'the greater good' were in fact ultimately net negatives and effectively harmed far more people than were protected. Part of the problem with utilitarian arguments is that we never have all the variables. It also should be noted that 'people' tends to be silently redefined as 'our people' and that this further skews the outcome towards the horrific. Before you know it you're torturing people, gassing them or doing other unspeakable things to them because you've worked out some kind of equation where your predicted outcome justifies your horrible actions. Values only matter when there is a price attached to them, it is very easy to have high standards for morality when they are essentially free.