tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2264125276161269122.post4426941475278082816..comments2023-04-21T20:55:22.881-04:00Comments on It's Only A Theory: From the 2010 APA in Boston: Neuropsychology and ethicsGabriele Contessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13607158011908969169noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2264125276161269122.post-90267266056132050162011-01-04T10:49:44.022-05:002011-01-04T10:49:44.022-05:00To separate out the disgust component of the dista...To separate out the disgust component of the distaste for incest, we can see how couples who have one or more children with Down's Syndrome do not incur society's wrath if they try for more children, even if the subsequent children have a higher risk of birth defects (though I'm not sure what the relative magnitude is compared to the offspring of incestuous unions)Agagoogahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11427912904378599921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2264125276161269122.post-79030889735694640482011-01-02T01:57:33.806-05:002011-01-02T01:57:33.806-05:00It's worth pointing out that many if not most ...It's worth pointing out that many if not most utilitarians are rule-utilitarians, they will advocate for rules that will in general/on average lead to greatest good for greatest number, not for everyone constantly engaging in detailed utility calculus before making each decision. So the dichotomy between Kantian and utilitarian becomes blurred when we talk about how people do or should make decisions (very different ethical theories could lead to the same or similar decision protocols).<br /><br />If human behaviour can be generalized in the way suggested, it suggests that this is something of an evolved response and the basic and persistant nature of the "emotional" ethical rules suggests this mode is adaptive. This further supports rule-utilitarians have a point that obeying rules that will not be optimal in each case can be better than trying to calculate an individual optimal strategy in each case (at least for optomizing inclusive fitness, if not the true utility function).<br /><br />Obviously these sorts of discussions do help inform the debate and matter a great deal to applied ethics, but its important to keep in mind the nuiansces.<br /><br />As to your question, well Aristotle did say that virtue was the mean between two extremes...Allan Olleyhttp://individual.utoronto.ca/fofound/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2264125276161269122.post-32004413038285983792010-12-31T17:36:54.057-05:002010-12-31T17:36:54.057-05:00Right, and...?Right, and...?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09099460671669064269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2264125276161269122.post-43331399148187728612010-12-31T17:35:38.831-05:002010-12-31T17:35:38.831-05:00http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problemAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com