But if Harry says “I don’t want to tell you where Anne is”, he will arouse the suspicion of the Nazis, who will search his house and find Anne.
In this thought experiment, the price Stan pays to maintain his code of honesty is one human life. What benefits accrue from his code that make such sacrifices worthwhile?
Stan isn’t a consequentialist; he considers himself to have done the right thing even though there are alternatives that would overall have better consequences, and so he won’t look for benefits to justify his decision.
I think the world needs more Harrys and fewer Stans; or at least, I think that would have better consequences, and that’s what I value.
But if Harry says “I don’t want to tell you where Anne is”, he will arouse the suspicion of the Nazis, who will search his house and find Anne.
In this thought experiment, the price Stan pays to maintain his code of honesty is one human life. What benefits accrue from his code that make such sacrifices worthwhile?
Stan isn’t a consequentialist; he considers himself to have done the right thing even though there are alternatives that would overall have better consequences, and so he won’t look for benefits to justify his decision.
I think the world needs more Harrys and fewer Stans; or at least, I think that would have better consequences, and that’s what I value.