What is your answer?
Suppose that you are a judge. To save lives by discouraging terrorism, you're tempted to sentence to death a suspected terrorist who is innocent. Should you do it? Which of these responses might you give if you were a rule utilitarian?
{ 1 } - I won't do it. It's useful for judges in this situation to follow the simple rule: "Never sentence an innocent person to death." Judges who violate this rule generally find that their strategy backfires and has very bad consequences.
{ 2 } - I won't do it. It's wrong in itself to kill an innocent person.
{ 3 } - I'll do it -- since it would likely promote the common good.
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1 is correct!
Suppose that you are a judge. To save lives by discouraging terrorism, you're tempted to sentence to death a suspected terrorist who is innocent. Should you do it? Which of these responses might you give if you were a rule utilitarian?
{ 1 } - I won't do it. It's useful for judges in this situation to follow the simple rule: "Never sentence an innocent person to death." Judges who violate this rule generally find that their strategy backfires and has very bad consequences.
{ 2 } - I won't do it. It's wrong in itself to kill an innocent person.
{ 3 } - I'll do it -- since it would likely promote the common good.
Rule utilitarians think that we ought to follow socially useful rules.
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Before continuing, you might try some wrong answers.
2 is wrong. Please try again.
Suppose that you are a judge. To save lives by discouraging terrorism, you're tempted to sentence to death a suspected terrorist who is innocent. Should you do it? Which of these responses might you give if you were a rule utilitarian?
{ 1 } - I won't do it. It's useful for judges in this situation to follow the simple rule: "Never sentence an innocent person to death." Judges who violate this rule generally find that their strategy backfires and has very bad consequences.
{ 2 } - I won't do it. It's wrong in itself to kill an innocent person.
{ 3 } - I'll do it -- since it would likely promote the common good.
A nonconsequentialist might answer this way. Rule utilitarians don't think that any kind of action is wrong in itself.
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3 is wrong. Please try again.
Suppose that you are a judge. To save lives by discouraging terrorism, you're tempted to sentence to death a suspected terrorist who is innocent. Should you do it? Which of these responses might you give if you were a rule utilitarian?
{ 1 } - I won't do it. It's useful for judges in this situation to follow the simple rule: "Never sentence an innocent person to death." Judges who violate this rule generally find that their strategy backfires and has very bad consequences.
{ 2 } - I won't do it. It's wrong in itself to kill an innocent person.
{ 3 } - I'll do it -- since it would likely promote the common good.
A foolish act utilitarian might answer this way. But this strategy is likely to backfire and have very bad consequences. A rule utilitarian would talk about what rule is most useful for people in this situation to follow.
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the end