Ethics Wwii Prelim Plan

War Question: During the second world war the British developed the policy of mass bombing with the object of completely demolishing German cities thereby destroying public morale and hastening the end of the war. How might a Utilitarian and Kantian respond to this policy? Intro - Kant and Util. Vastly different - generalise issue - specify: summary of situation, Britain’s motives. Kant stance, util more complex Main body - util: GHP complexity: death tolls, Hitler’s potential, Trenchard quote act (classical – consequences of particular act) – states we always pursue happiness + shun pain (psychological hedonism). rule (indirect) util. (consequences of following rule). Two-level util. – less strict, from experience jeremy bentham (1748-1832) – util. Founder. Said all pleasures same: felicific calculus – intensity, duration, (un)certainty, remoteness, fecundity, purity. Eg. Rich man wins money, hed. Calc. Says give to charity. Js mill – high/low pleasures(mind/body) common sense approach, not religiously biased, equity important. Demanding (eg. Ice cream). Using humans as means problem? – cause util likely support bombs kantian – categorical imperative (groundwork). Act as if maxim of action become through will universal law. Law making members of a kingdom of ends. Motives: Britain’s motives. Util support, not with hindsight. Kant criticise not considering other options. Kant: all suffer or none, never treat innocents as means to an end. Maxims allows kantian work out for themselves what is moral. Moral acts based on unconditional principles. Simplistic model of causality (only looking at act’s intentions), doesn’t consider emotions, maxims impoverished technique? Unconditinoally wrong acts cause perfect duties. Maxim willed that breaches perfect duties = “contradiction in conception” Inclinations cannot determine moral duty. Karl Marx (1818-83) – communist manifesto, equity bridges util + kant (neo-kantian and GHP). Conclude: kant against. Util for but not with hindsight. Bombing roads, railways, bridges much more effective in Nazi downfall.