XiXiDu comments on What is Metaethics? - Less Wrong

31 Post author: lukeprog 25 April 2011 04:53PM

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Comment author: XiXiDu 27 April 2011 02:55:04PM *  1 point [-]

Consider the the trolley problem. Naively you kill the fat guy if you care about other people and also if you only care about yourself, because you want others to kill the fat guy as well because you are more likely to be one of the many people tied to the rails than the fat guy.

Of course there is the question about how killing one fat guy to save more people and similar decisions could erode society. Yet it is solely a question about wants, about the preferences of the agents involved. I don't see how it could be helpful to add terminology derived from moral philosophy here or elsewhere.

Comment author: Peterdjones 27 April 2011 04:45:23PM -2 points [-]

It is meaningful wherever it is meaningful to discuss whether there are wants people should and shouldn't have.