I could be asking one of two things, depending on where someone arguing for unqualified altruism (as, say, Singer does) stands. Singer’s argument has the form ‘If you consider yourself obligated to save the local child, then you should consider yourself obligated to save the non-local one.’ He could be arguing that unqualified altruism is in fact my terminal value, given that local altruism is, and I should realize that the restrictions involved in the qualification ‘local’ are irrational. Or he could be arguing that unqualified altruism is a significant or perhaps necessary instrumental value, given what you can read about my terminal values off my commitment to local altruism.
I’m not sure which he thinks, though I would guess that his argument is intended to be the former one. I realize you might not endorse Singer’s argument, but these are two ways to hear my question: ‘Is unqualified altruism a terminal value of mine, given that local altruism is a value of mine?’ and ‘Is ethical altruism an instrumental value of mine, given what we can know about my terminal values on the assumption that local altruism is also an instrumental value of mine?’
I’m not entirely sure which applies to me. I don’t think I have any terminal values so specific as ‘unqualifed/local altruism’, but I may be reflecting badly.
I could be asking one of two things, depending on where someone arguing for unqualified altruism (as, say, Singer does) stands. Singer’s argument has the form ‘If you consider yourself obligated to save the local child, then you should consider yourself obligated to save the non-local one.’ He could be arguing that unqualified altruism is in fact my terminal value, given that local altruism is, and I should realize that the restrictions involved in the qualification ‘local’ are irrational. Or he could be arguing that unqualified altruism is a significant or perhaps necessary instrumental value, given what you can read about my terminal values off my commitment to local altruism.
I’m not sure which he thinks, though I would guess that his argument is intended to be the former one. I realize you might not endorse Singer’s argument, but these are two ways to hear my question: ‘Is unqualified altruism a terminal value of mine, given that local altruism is a value of mine?’ and ‘Is ethical altruism an instrumental value of mine, given what we can know about my terminal values on the assumption that local altruism is also an instrumental value of mine?’
I’m not entirely sure which applies to me. I don’t think I have any terminal values so specific as ‘unqualifed/local altruism’, but I may be reflecting badly.