Ima Rossian thinks that we ought to keep a promise
Ima Rossian thinks that we ought to keep a promise
Ima thinks that we ought to break a promise in certain circumstances. She gave the example where she had to break her promise (to go hiking with her boyfriend) in order to drive her mother to the hospital.
Ima opposes exceptionless norms.
Ima Rossian thinks that we ought to keep a promise
Ima thinks that our duty to keep a promise isn't automatically overridden if some other action would have better consequences.
Ima mentioned a case where a couple promised to pay her for baby-sitting. Utilitarianism says that they should give the money to the poor, instead of to her, if this would have slightly better consequences. The fact that they promised carries no special moral weight. Ima says that this is an absurd idea; she'd protest if people took so lightly the promises that they make to her.
Ima Rossian thinks that we ought to keep a promise
Ima sees breaking promises as wrong in itself. Violating our word is wrong, not just because it tends to have bad consequences, but because of the kind of act that it is. So keeping promises is an independent duty, not just a "rule of thumb" to promote good consequences.
But keeping promises isn't our only duty, and other duties can conflict with it. In order to fulfill other duties that are more urgent, we sometimes ought to break a promise. This happened in the case where she had to break her promise (to go hiking with her boyfriend) in order to drive her mother to the hospital.