Prioritarianism and Other-Regarding Decision-Making under Risk

In the present contribution I attempt to refute a recent challenge raised by Michael Otsuka against prioritarianism, according to which the priority view is objectionable since it rejects the moral permissibility of choosing in accordance with rational self-interest – understood as maximization of e...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Volacu, Alexandru 1990- (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
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Published: Peeters [2017]
In: Ethical perspectives
Year: 2017, Volume: 24, Issue: 2, Pages: 199-224
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Otsuka, Michael 1964- / Justice / Emergency / Priority / Expected utility / Self-interest
IxTheo Classification:NCA Ethics
NCC Social ethics
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:In the present contribution I attempt to refute a recent challenge raised by Michael Otsuka against prioritarianism, according to which the priority view is objectionable since it rejects the moral permissibility of choosing in accordance with rational self-interest – understood as maximization of expected utility – in one-person cases involving other-regarding decision-making under risk. I claim that Otsuka’s argument is bound to make an illegitimate move, which is either to assume implausibly that individuals are generally risk-neutral or to assume implausibly that the decision-maker in his cases can have accurate information on the attitudes towards risk held by the individual on behalf of whom the decision is taken. I argue, pace Otsuka, that acting in accordance with rational self-interest in cases characterized by these types of epistemic constraints requires that we adopt a view on other-regarding decision-making that takes into account general empirical facts about human nature and that prioritarianism does not conflict with this latter view
ISSN:1370-0049
Contains:Enthalten in: Ethical perspectives
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2143/EP.24.2.3218002