The Ockham Society (Friday - Week 4, MT18)

Ockham Society

Christopher Benzenberg (St. Cross) Oops!... I did the right thing: The Moral Worth of Actions

Actions can be morally right while lacking moral worth. Kant’s prudent shopkeeper, for example, treats his customers fairly to maximise his long term profit. Surely the fair treatment of his customers is the right thing to do. However, we certainly do not think that the shopkeeper’s actions have moral worth. But what makes it the case that right actions have moral worth? The aim of this paper is to answer this question. The structure: After rejecting the right-reasons-account of moral worth (§ 1), a new account of moral worth is stated and defended (§§ 2-3).

 

Chair: Sebastian Liu


Ockham Society Convenor: Charlotte Figueroa | Ockham Society Webpage