Slavery and Beneficence

03/02/2015

Some implications of utilitarianisms and Kantian respect for persons

Beneficence is a concept in research ethics which states that
researchers should have the welfare of the research participant as a
goal of any clinical trial or other research study
Ethics Review
HAM: 608 7o No IDs
o Utilitarianisms Mill and Bentham; Smart
o consequentialism, Kant, ONeil, issue by contemporary
authors (3parts) hare, Railton, ONeil, Williams, all essays
o no pencils, closed book, etc
Reflections on Slavery
R.M Hare
2 main aspects: social status (a slave
lacks ordinary rights; subject to
special liabilities other need not face

Orlando Patterson
slavery is one of the most
extreme forms of the relation of
domination. Power of master and
total powerlessness from standpoint
of the slave.
Slavery in general.

Relation to master: slave to another

person or body
Hare wants to get facts right. Patterson says slavery is one of the
most extreme forms of the relation of domination. Greek context.
What is slavery?

Patterson on Power relation, slavery:

Tends to involve extreme power
Relies on violence or threat of violence to sustain
Involves powerlessness in relation to another person or body
Powerlessness of the slave
Originates as a substitute for death(usually a violent death) as
social death
Social death as a slave
o Legally alienated from all rights or claims of birth
o Culturally excluded (alienated) from heritage
o Excluded community

o Excluded of honor
Natal alienation of slave: ULTIMATE HUMAN TOOL
Preliminary Considerations
Slavery is a violation of the Kantian principle of humanity
Drawing on ONeilKants theory is misleadingly assimilated to
theories of human rights. It a theory of human obligations to a
respect of dignity and autonomy of persons.
Hare on What is wrong with Slavery
We can construct cases in Utilitarianisms that must justify slavery
(hahaha)
o Cuba and Jamaica dream slavery ends up better for a group
of people. Utility is increased while slavery is held in place.
Slavery like all wrongness must be shown in the world as it
actually is
To understand moral status of slavery:
o The meaning of relevant concepts
o Implication of formal rules (golden rule)
To make sense you must do through secondary
principles (golden rule), same as MILL in chap 2.
Religion can appropriate such ideals.
o Important facts about the world (464)
Hegelian notion that there are effects on both slave and
master Kings those who oppress have a reciprocal
effect of negative effects on humanity.
Horse vs humansas men look ahead to their
pains. There is a sense of fear
Fear can cause terror
Hares conclusion
Human tend to exploit those whom they have absolute power and
the terror of those subject to this exploitation.
Difficulties w/ Hares conclusion
Adaptive preferences that min the terror of exploitation
o might mean that they dont experience terror, but that would
not just any negative acts
slavery was not wrong?
o Wife and man domestic violence IF someone thinks of
further consequences was the relationship all that bad? YES it
was, even if there is adaptive preferences
More Difficulties w/ Hares conclusion
victims feelings?

o Stockholm syndrome? People identify with an abuser

Dont want them to punish the abusers
o Might utilitarianism yield a wrong answer here?
Moral condemnation not on the victims feelings ? Some
outside of this perspective
Not always the whole when feelings are involved
Reflections on Beneficence
Beneficence is a concept in research ethics which states that
researchers should have the welfare of the research participant as a
goal of any clinical trial or other research study
Unlike duties of justice not open-ended, but Beneficence is openended.
o People are different and must be treated in different matters,
there is a need and it is variable
The content of ones duty will be differ depending on NEED
Some utilitarianism considerations
Bentham : each to count for one and none for more than one
(equality)
Mill: Idea of impartiality the happiness of others impartial and
desire for others happiness.
Bentham/Mill: some demands of governments are above the
individual
Kantian Beneficence
Treat others as an ends in themselvesto treat them as rational
and autonomous beings with their own maxims
o If you were really Kantian you resist
What does it require?
o Not just to refrain form treating them in ways to which they
could not consent
o To sustain and extend ones autonomous actions
Bank example, teller is a means, but not solely as a means treat
with dignity, a social contract with respect. The same for the teller
you as means of making a check A mutual respect
o Even wonderful humans are finite in their considerations. We
are characterized by our dependents and our vulnerability
Kantianism is not a human rights doctrine
Some ref to strict or perfect duties
o ONeill obligation based view, it is a wider scope. Not all
obligations have corresponding rights. (510).
COME up with an appealing list, but never with the full
list of a lifetime duties.

Kantianism is in one way less ambitious than util..

Focuses on actions, not results
It does not aim to rank all actions
INSTEAD it offers a principal for beneficent actions or not
Kantianism beneficence require?
Beneficence abroad
At home
Requirements?
o Preserve and extend autonomy (reject paternalism )
o Reflect respect for life (no generation of sacrifice)
o Must be compatible with duties of justice
How far do duties extend?
Pg 520
In a world in which action affects distant others, justice cannot be
stopped at local or national boundaries: there is no such thing as
social justice in one country. It is only our activism, and not our
thinking or concern, that can legitimately be local.
Concluding reflections
Conclusions generated by theories (overlap)
Some fundamental divergence in duties
One area of convergence is in which they shrink the realm of nonmoral. Where is the space for you?