What is your answer?

How should we respond to Ima Racist, who says "Everyone with black skin ought to be treated poorly"? Doesn't Ima satisfy universalizability?

    { 1 } - Tell Ima that skin color obviously isn't morally relevant here.
    { 2 } - Have Ima imagine a case where a color-changing germ infected everyone in the world -- turning originally white skin permanently black, and originally black skin permanently white. Should the newly white people be treated well, and the newly black people treated poorly?

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Directions: Click on a number from 1 to 2.
























 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

























1 is wrong. Please try again.

How should we respond to Ima Racist, who says "Everyone with black skin ought to be treated poorly"? Doesn't Ima satisfy universalizability?

This is obvious to me and to you. But how do we make it obvious to Ima?

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2 is correct!

How should we respond to Ima Racist, who says "Everyone with black skin ought to be treated poorly"? Doesn't Ima satisfy universalizability?

    { 1 } - Tell Ima that skin color obviously isn't morally relevant here.
    { 2 } - Have Ima imagine a case where a color-changing germ infected everyone in the world -- turning originally white skin permanently black, and originally black skin permanently white. Should the newly white people be treated well, and the newly black people treated poorly?

We can test Ima's consistency by seeing whether he regards the property as morally relevant regardless of which side is imagined to have it. (The color-changing example is from R.M. Hare.)

We could also asked whether Albino blacks ought to be treated well -- and whether Caucasians with deep dark tans ought to be treated poorly.

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Before continuing, you might try some wrong answers.
























 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

























the end