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I'm also confused why they drop this point. I don't give in to this kind of threat because I expect overall a policy of giving in leads to worse outcomes.
by jefftk 3y ago
I'm also confused why they drop this point. I don't give in to this kind of threat because I expect overall a policy of giving in leads to worse outcomes.
- HWR_14 3y agoAct utilitarians specifically don't believe in evaluating the overall consequences of a policy. Rule utilitarians do that. That is, in fact, the major difference between the two.
- jefftk 3y agoGood point, I phrased it poorly. Because of the effects of the specific action, I think an act utilitarian should still refuse to be mugged in this case. The policy I was describing is just a mental shortcut, a part of adapting morality to human beings. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-level_utilitarianism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-level_utilitarianism for more in this direction.
- HWR_14 3y agoTwo level utilitarians are primarily rule utilitarians, not act utilitarians.