It is muddy. To me a sort of deontological approach makes sense of this (I’m sure anyone who prefers utilitarianism can convert this somehow). Basically, I wouldn’t want to live in a world where salesmen were encouraged to take advantage of your vulnerable emotional state in order to push products on you, even if they make you feel better (yes, I already live in this world, but still).
There’s still a non-dirty-feeling option, which might be to find some other charity that saves kid’s lives and help the woman donate to that. It might seem like, all things considered, this is the same result but requiring more work, making it a questionable choice from a utility point of view. But ultimately I just don’t trust human beings, even myself, to not act selfishly, and to distinguish at all times between rationality and rationalizing.
In short, I can see how an argument could be made that taking advantage of her emotional state to help save lives is a morally acceptable option. I just don’t trust anyone making that argument that has a stake in it. The safe bet is to always look for the third option, just in case.
It is muddy. To me a sort of deontological approach makes sense of this (I’m sure anyone who prefers utilitarianism can convert this somehow). Basically, I wouldn’t want to live in a world where salesmen were encouraged to take advantage of your vulnerable emotional state in order to push products on you, even if they make you feel better (yes, I already live in this world, but still).
There’s still a non-dirty-feeling option, which might be to find some other charity that saves kid’s lives and help the woman donate to that. It might seem like, all things considered, this is the same result but requiring more work, making it a questionable choice from a utility point of view. But ultimately I just don’t trust human beings, even myself, to not act selfishly, and to distinguish at all times between rationality and rationalizing.
In short, I can see how an argument could be made that taking advantage of her emotional state to help save lives is a morally acceptable option. I just don’t trust anyone making that argument that has a stake in it. The safe bet is to always look for the third option, just in case.