{"title":"The Two-Tier Problem.","authors":"Dominic Jc Wilkinson","doi":"10.1163/17455243-21050021","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A number of philosophers argue for a Two-Tier View: that there is some difference between individual-affecting and non-individual-affecting choices. But it is challenging to know the degree of moral difference, and to determine for some cases into which category they fall. I refer to this as the \"Two Tier Problem.\" In this paper, I develop and defend a \"Two-Tier Deontic View.\" On that view, the higher tier applies to a subset of individual-affecting cases. We have stronger reason to bring about an individual-affecting rather than a non-individual-affecting benefit, but only in cases where we have agent-relative duties to the individuals so affected. In other cases (and I argue that this applies to most policy decisions affecting reproduction) there is no moral difference between individual- and non-individual-affecting choices.</p>","PeriodicalId":51879,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Moral Philosophy","volume":" ","pages":"1-28"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7617454/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Moral Philosophy","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1163/17455243-21050021","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ETHICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
A number of philosophers argue for a Two-Tier View: that there is some difference between individual-affecting and non-individual-affecting choices. But it is challenging to know the degree of moral difference, and to determine for some cases into which category they fall. I refer to this as the "Two Tier Problem." In this paper, I develop and defend a "Two-Tier Deontic View." On that view, the higher tier applies to a subset of individual-affecting cases. We have stronger reason to bring about an individual-affecting rather than a non-individual-affecting benefit, but only in cases where we have agent-relative duties to the individuals so affected. In other cases (and I argue that this applies to most policy decisions affecting reproduction) there is no moral difference between individual- and non-individual-affecting choices.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Moral Philosophy is a peer-reviewed journal of moral, political and legal philosophy with an international focus. It publishes articles in all areas of normative philosophy, including pure and applied ethics, as well as moral, legal, and political theory. Articles exploring non-Western traditions are also welcome. The Journal seeks to promote lively discussions and debates for established academics and the wider community, by publishing articles that avoid unnecessary jargon without sacrificing academic rigour. It encourages contributions from newer members of the philosophical community. The Journal of Moral Philosophy is published four times a year, in January, April, July and October.