Moral Thinking
Quick Summary
R.M. Hare's work on moral thinking, particularly in his book Moral Thinking (1981), proposes a two-level approach to ethics. At the critical level, moral judgments are seen as prescriptions that must be universalizable, meaning a judgment about an action must apply to all relevantly similar actions. This leads to a form of consequentialism where the best action maximizes the satisfaction of preferences for all affected individuals.123
However, for everyday decision-making, Hare suggests an intuitive level. This level relies on learned moral principles that, when followed, generally lead to the best consequences. This approach aims to balance the logical demands of universalizability with the practicalities of moral reasoning.134
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ethicsUniversal prescriptivismSubsequently, in Moral Thinking (1981), Hare argued that to hold an ideal—whether it be a Nazi ideal such as the purity of the Aryan race or a more conventional ideal such as doing justice irrespective of consequences—is really to have a special kind of preference. When asking…
Read MoreSubsequently, in Moral Thinking (1981), Hare argued that to hold an ideal—whether it be a Nazi ideal such as the purity of the Aryan race or a more conventional ideal such as doing justice irrespective of consequences—is really to have a special kind of preference. When asking…
Read More- ethicsVarieties of consequentialism
In Moral Thinking, Hare developed a position that combines elements of both act- and rule-consequentialism. He distinguished two levels of thought about what one ought to do. At the critical level, one may reason about the principles that should govern one’s action and consider what would…
Read MoreIn Moral Thinking, Hare developed a position that combines elements of both act- and rule-consequentialism. He distinguished two levels of thought about what one ought to do. At the critical level, one may reason about the principles that should govern one’s action and consider what would…
Read More