Against Securitism, the New Breed of Actualism in Consequentialist Thought. Issue 2 (20th August 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: VESSEL, JEAN-PAUL
• Is Part Of: Utilitas. Volume 28:Issue 2(2016)
• Page Start: 164
• Page End: 178
• Publication Date: 2015-08-20
• Subjects: Utilitarianism -- Periodicals; 171.5
• DOI: 10.1017/S095382081500028X
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0953-8208

Abstract

Abstract : In Commonsense Consequentialism: Wherein Morality Meets Rationality, Douglas Portmore introduces a novel position regarding the actualist–possibilist controversies in consequentialist thought – securitism – a position he argues is theoretically superior to the standard views in both the actualist and possibilist camps. After distinguishing the two camps through an examination of the original Procrastinate case, I present Portmore's securitism (a new species of actualism) and its implications regarding his modified Procrastinate case. I level two serious objections against securitism: (i) that it implausibly implies that morality is radically more demanding for the virtuous than it is for the vicious and (ii) that it fails to recognize moral vice in a wide range of cases. I close by arguing that a possibilist variant of Portmore's securitist view is impervious to such objections and thus appears theoretically superior to the actualist version Portmore promotes.