The reason I would evaluate a philanthropist who acts out of spite differently from a philanthropist who acts out of altruism is precisely because I don’t expect both philanthropists to cause the same consequences in the long run.
You’re right, that was careless of me. I intended the hypothetical only to be about the evaluations of their respective actions, not them as people. This is at least partly because Kantian deontology (as I understand it) doesn’t allow for any direct evaluations of people, only actions.
The reason I would evaluate a philanthropist who acts out of spite differently from a philanthropist who acts out of altruism is precisely because I don’t expect both philanthropists to cause the same consequences in the long run.
Yes, I agree. That’s why I said “implausibly”. But the hypothetical hen proposed presumed this, and I chose not to fight it.
This seems like a judgement about the philanthropists, rather than the act of donating. My example was intended to discuss the act, not the agent.
Your wording suggests otherwise: “We do not evaluate equally a philanthropist who donates to an efficient charity to spite her neighbor...”
You’re right, that was careless of me. I intended the hypothetical only to be about the evaluations of their respective actions, not them as people. This is at least partly because Kantian deontology (as I understand it) doesn’t allow for any direct evaluations of people, only actions.