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Questions tagged [rule-ethics]

14 questions
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8 answers

What would Kant do when two categorical imperatives conflict? Could he ever justify lying?

Suppose a German SS officer knocked on my door, asking me whether I had any Jews. And suppose further that I had two Jews in a secret compartment in the attic that he'd never be able to find. Everybody will agree that I must lie and say I haven't…
Cerberus
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What was Kant's view on lies by omission?

I was going to ask this question as a comment in response to @Chad's answer to What would Kant do when two categorical imperatives conflict? Could he ever justify lying?, however I figured it merits it's own proper question. I find it odd that under…
dimo414
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Mill's Proof and Nozick's Experience Machine

I'm trying to grasp how Mill's claim that the only good is happiness/pleasure is able to respond to Nozick's though experiment. Humans strive for virtue and other goods only if they are associated with the natural and original tendency to seek…
Scb
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Argument over rules not being followed

I strongly think that rules are meant to be followed. But, according to my colleagues, it doesn't matter if the parties involved in the violation of the rules do not engage in anything harmful to them or to others. Is this point that they make…
Jonathan_the_seagull
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Are categorical imperatives employed in non-Kantian ethical theories?

Are categorical imperatives employed in non-Kantian ethical theories? For example, consider utilitarianism's principle "act so that the overall happiness is maximised". Is this not a categorical imperative? It is intended as a universal rule which…
tashakinns
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When two wrongs do make a utilitarian right

I'm trying to discuss the ethics of someone lying on their CV to get a job. The company does not have the legal right to ask a certain question but the applicant is forced to answer. He decides to lie and gets the job. Is there a term for, or work…
PStag
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Are there any ethical/moral frameworks governing sexual behaviours? If so, what do they say?

Although the sexual domain is clearly an arena of reciprocity, altruism, selfishness, emotional blackmail, dominance-submission, guilt-inducement, etc. etc. posing ethical and moral questions of various kinds, one feels that there is a conspicuous…
Krishnaraj Rao
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Will strict dress code rules make the society better?

Does imposing dress code on visitors for places such as hospitals, universities, government buildings, libraries and public spaces improve our society? For example, visitors are dictated to wear formal attire in order to be served in governmental…
kennykee
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The birth of regimes

Our human history is full of regimes and there seems to allways have been an agreement in the population that what happend was for their own good. For example in Germany people would accept the regime, because they belived their fürer would protect…
Mr Zach
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Utilitarianism and naturalistic fallacy

Does utilitarianism commit the naturalistic fallacy? Can someone tell with respect to act and rule utilitarianism?
Adnan Zahid
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Are some "right actions" not productive of the greatest happiness for the greatest number?

The question refers to utilitarianism and I received it during my ethics class. I need to critically evaluate this by referring to 3 global examples. I don't really know what example I could give provide? I was thinking about using the…
Rae
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What are the methods to evaluate a supernatural statement as carefully as possible?

I've found out that it is hard to evaluate the truth of a statement which has following 5 properties: They concern events in the future. They are so supernatural, to the point of being outside of the scope of math or logic. There is strong…
Yasser Zamani
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Algorithms controlling your internet access

I just watched this TED lecture (very scary) is this ethical?
YUASK
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Does the existence of ethics(as a set of rules) imply lack of empathy in humans?

Suppose we would have enough empathy to understand each other in any circumstance. Wouldn't all the discussion of any problem resolve to free will(of the participants of the problem) only? Would, in that case, make sense to split people's actions…
shooting-squirrel
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