For some reason, people keep thinking that Torture vs. Specks was written as an argument for utilitarianism. That makes no sense, because it’s the sort of thing that makes utilitarians squirm and deontologists gloat.
That gloating makes even less sense! There are people who gloat that their morality advocates doing that much additional harm to people? That sounds like a terrible move!
It seems to me that by the time you evaluate which one of two options are worse you have arrived both at the decision you would advocate and the decision you would be proud of. The only remaining causes for boasting being biased after you have thought it through would be if you thought the target audience would be particularly made up by people on your team.
TvDS is a thought experiment in which (particular flavors of) deontology support a conclusion that most people find comfortable (“torture is bad, dust specks in your eye are no big deal”) and (particular flavors of) utilitarianism support a conclusion that most people find uncomfortable (“torture is no big deal, dust specks in your eye are bad”).
It makes perfect sense to me that people find satisfying being exposed to arguments in which their previously held positions make them feel comfortable, and find disquieting being exposed to arguments in which their previously held positions make them feel uncomfortable.
My point is that the motive for the boast is just that most people are naturally deontologists and so can be anticipated to agree with the deontological boast. Aside from that it is trivially the case that people can be expected to be proud of reaching the correct moral decision based on the fact that they arrived at any decision at all.
That gloating makes even less sense! There are people who gloat that their morality advocates doing that much additional harm to people? That sounds like a terrible move!
It seems to me that by the time you evaluate which one of two options are worse you have arrived both at the decision you would advocate and the decision you would be proud of. The only remaining causes for boasting being biased after you have thought it through would be if you thought the target audience would be particularly made up by people on your team.
TvDS is a thought experiment in which (particular flavors of) deontology support a conclusion that most people find comfortable (“torture is bad, dust specks in your eye are no big deal”) and (particular flavors of) utilitarianism support a conclusion that most people find uncomfortable (“torture is no big deal, dust specks in your eye are bad”).
It makes perfect sense to me that people find satisfying being exposed to arguments in which their previously held positions make them feel comfortable, and find disquieting being exposed to arguments in which their previously held positions make them feel uncomfortable.
My point is that the motive for the boast is just that most people are naturally deontologists and so can be anticipated to agree with the deontological boast. Aside from that it is trivially the case that people can be expected to be proud of reaching the correct moral decision based on the fact that they arrived at any decision at all.