Our action are dictated by what is a commonly held view of what is 'good'. But this notion of what is
'good' is constituted by social/economic/political variances and of course interested parties.
So if we contrast what is deemed to be 'good' against what is deemed to be 'right' we may be stalled in our actions.
The brakes fail on a runaway train, if it is not diverted it will kill all on board, if the train driver manages to divert it to a siding it will save all on board but kill the one person working in the siding
In this example what is the 'good' action and what is the 'right' action?
A well-worn example of this over-permissiveness of consequentialism is that of a case standardly called, Transplant. A surgeon has five patients dying of organ failure and one healthy patient whose organs can save the five. In the right circumstances, surgeon will be permitted (and indeed required) by consequentialism to kill the healthy patient to obtain his organs, assuming there are no relevant consequences other than the saving of the five and the death of the one.
Likewise, consequentialism will permit (in a case that we shall call, Fat Man) that a fat man
be pushed in front of a runaway trolley if his being crushed by the trolley will halt its advance towards five workers trapped on the track.
'good' is constituted by social/economic/political variances and of course interested parties.
So if we contrast what is deemed to be 'good' against what is deemed to be 'right' we may be stalled in our actions.
The brakes fail on a runaway train, if it is not diverted it will kill all on board, if the train driver manages to divert it to a siding it will save all on board but kill the one person working in the siding
In this example what is the 'good' action and what is the 'right' action?
A well-worn example of this over-permissiveness of consequentialism is that of a case standardly called, Transplant. A surgeon has five patients dying of organ failure and one healthy patient whose organs can save the five. In the right circumstances, surgeon will be permitted (and indeed required) by consequentialism to kill the healthy patient to obtain his organs, assuming there are no relevant consequences other than the saving of the five and the death of the one. Likewise, consequentialism will permit (in a case that we shall call, Fat Man) that a fat man
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