In dubious battle: uncertainty and the ethics of killing

Date

2017-03-28

Authors

Lazar, Seth

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Kluwer Academic Publishers

Abstract

How should deontologists concerned with the ethics of killing apply their moral theory when we don’t know all the facts relevant to the permissibility of our action? Though the stakes couldn’t be higher, and uncertainty is endemic where killing is concerned, few deontologists have an answer to this question. In this paper I canvass two possibilities: that we should apply a threshold standard, equivalent to the ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ standard applied for criminal punishment; and that we should fit our deontological ethical theory into the apparatus of decision theory. I show that the first approach faces insurmountable obstacles, while the second holds much more promise for deontologists than they (and their critics) might first have assumed

Description

Keywords

Self-defence, Uncertainty, Deontological ethics, Normative ethics, Killing, Harm, Liability, Decision theory

Citation

Lazar, S. In dubious battle: uncertainty and the ethics of killing. Philos Stud 175, 859–883 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-017-0896-3

Source

Philosophical Studies

Type

Journal article

Book Title

Entity type

Access Statement

License Rights

Restricted until

2099-12-31