Peterdjones comments on Interpersonal Morality - Less Wrong

14 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 29 July 2008 06:01PM

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Comment author: Peterdjones 21 June 2011 02:57:09PM *  0 points [-]

As far as I know, there is not. In moral philosophy, when deontologists talk about morality, they are typically talking about things that are for the benefit of others.

Typically, maybe, but not necessarily. There is no obvious contradiction in the idea of a rule of self-preservation or self-enhancement. Many consider suicide imorroral, for instance.

Indeed, they even have conversations about how to balance between self-interest and the demands of morality. In contrast, consequentialists have a theory that already accounts for the benefit of the agent who is doing the decision making: it counts just as much as anyone else.

ie one 6 billionth in the case of humans.