This position conflicts with consequentialist ethics.
Situation 1: I give money to those beggars who are more likely to buy bread than drugs, because this way my money brings more expected benefit to the beggar: it might help this particular one to bounce back, whereas with a crack addict there’s almost no chance.
Situation 2: I give money to those beggars who are more likely to buy bread than drugs, because I enjoy the power rush of controlling other people like the controlling father that tried to control Aaron Swartz with his controlling money.
The net result is the same, only the thoughts differ. Discriminating between the two situations sounds like deontological ethics. It works okay on the small scale but breaks down very quickly when the stakes rise and you realize that the universe doesn’t care about your personal hangups.
This position conflicts with consequentialist ethics.
Situation 1: I give money to those beggars who are more likely to buy bread than drugs, because this way my money brings more expected benefit to the beggar: it might help this particular one to bounce back, whereas with a crack addict there’s almost no chance.
Situation 2: I give money to those beggars who are more likely to buy bread than drugs, because I enjoy the power rush of controlling other people like the controlling father that tried to control Aaron Swartz with his controlling money.
The net result is the same, only the thoughts differ. Discriminating between the two situations sounds like deontological ethics. It works okay on the small scale but breaks down very quickly when the stakes rise and you realize that the universe doesn’t care about your personal hangups.