This dissertation identifies and assesses three criteria that are often used to evaluate consequentialist theories of morality and rationality. After introducing a distinction between straightforwardly maximizing consequentialist theories (such as act consequentialism and egoism) and indirectly maximizing consequentialist theories (such as rule consequentialism, rule egoism, Gauthiers theory of constrained maximization, and McClennens theory of resolute choice), it addresses criteria associated with the concepts of self-defeat, the publicity condition, and incoherence. It argues that (1) the thesis that the self-defeat of a normative theory is a good reason for rejecting it has several surprising and intolerable implications, (2) the publicity condition is an unreasonably demanding requirement to impose on normative theories, and (3) unlike self-defeat and publicity, the issue of incoherence is crucial to the viability of a normative theory; consequently, the incoherence of indirectly maximizing theories renders them unacceptable as accounts of moral or rational action. Although each of these conclusions is of independent interest, they are of further interest when considered together. For cumulatively they constitute a vigorous defense of straightforwardly maximizing theories and a sharp indictment of their indirectly maximizing rivals. As a result, the dissertation has direct implications for debates in both normative ethics and rational-choice theory.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-04292002-131105 |
| Date | 16 July 2002 |
| Creators | Eggleston, Ben |
| Contributors | Michael Thompson, Nicholas Rescher, David DeJong, David Gauthier, Edward McClennen |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu:80/ETD/available/etd-04292002-131105/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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