As I understand the common arguments for legalizing infanticide, it involves weighting the preferences of the parents and society more—not a complete discounting of the infant’s preferences.
Try replacing “infanticide” (and “infant’s”) in that sentence with “killing Jews” or “enslaving Blacks”. Would you also argue that it’s not excluding Jews or Blacks from the circle of compassion?
It seems like a silly question. Practically everyone discounts the preferences of the very young. They can’t vote, and below some age, are widely agreed to have practically no human rights, and are generally eligible for death on parental whim.
Well the same applies even more strongly to animals, but the people arguing for the “expanding circle of compassion” idea like to site vegetarianism as an example of this phenomenon.
Well, sure, but adult human females have preferences too, and they are quite significant ones. An “expanding circle of compassion” doesn’t necessarily imply equal weights for everyone.
Well, sure, but adult human females have preferences too, and they are quite significant ones.
So did slave owners.
An “expanding circle of compassion” doesn’t necessarily imply equal weights for everyone.
At the point where A’s inconvenience justifies B’s being killed you’ve effectively generalized the “expanding circle of compassion” idea into meaninglessness.
Well, sure, but adult human females have preferences too, and they are quite significant ones.
So did slave owners.
Sure.
An “expanding circle of compassion” doesn’t necessarily imply equal weights for everyone.
At the point where A’s inconvenience justifies B’s being killed you’ve effectively generalized the “expanding circle of compassion” idea into meaninglessness.
Singer’s obviously right about the “expanding circle”—it’s a real phenomenon. If A is a human and B is a radish, A killing B doesn’t seem too awful. Singer claims newborns are rather like that—in being too young to have much in the way of preferences worthy of respect.
Singer’s obviously right about the “expanding circle”—it’s a real phenomenon.
Um, this is precisely the point of disagreement, and given that your next sentence is about the position that babies have the moral worth of radishes I don’t see how you can assert that with a straight face.
I didn’t know that. I normally take this for granted.
Some conventional cites on the topic are: Singer and Dawkins.
You just steelmanned Singer’s position to claiming that babies have the moral worth of radishes, and it hasn’t occurred to you that he might not be the best person to site for arguing for an expanding moral circle?
Try replacing “infanticide” (and “infant’s”) in that sentence with “killing Jews” or “enslaving Blacks”. Would you also argue that it’s not excluding Jews or Blacks from the circle of compassion?
It seems like a silly question. Practically everyone discounts the preferences of the very young. They can’t vote, and below some age, are widely agreed to have practically no human rights, and are generally eligible for death on parental whim.
Well the same applies even more strongly to animals, but the people arguing for the “expanding circle of compassion” idea like to site vegetarianism as an example of this phenomenon.
Well, sure, but adult human females have preferences too, and they are quite significant ones. An “expanding circle of compassion” doesn’t necessarily imply equal weights for everyone.
So did slave owners.
At the point where A’s inconvenience justifies B’s being killed you’ve effectively generalized the “expanding circle of compassion” idea into meaninglessness.
Sure.
Singer’s obviously right about the “expanding circle”—it’s a real phenomenon. If A is a human and B is a radish, A killing B doesn’t seem too awful. Singer claims newborns are rather like that—in being too young to have much in the way of preferences worthy of respect.
Um, this is precisely the point of disagreement, and given that your next sentence is about the position that babies have the moral worth of radishes I don’t see how you can assert that with a straight face.
I didn’t know that. I normally take this for granted.
Some conventional cites on the topic are: Singer and Dawkins.
You just steelmanned Singer’s position to claiming that babies have the moral worth of radishes, and it hasn’t occurred to you that he might not be the best person to site for arguing for an expanding moral circle?
Sorry, but I have to ask: Are you trolling?