Williams’s Integrity Objection as a Psychological Problem

• DOI: 10.1007/s11245-023-09966-7
• Publication Date: 2024-02-16T06:02:33Z
• Authors: Nikhil Venkatesh
• Keywords: Research Integrity

Abstract Utilitarianism is the view that as far morality goes, one ought to choose option which will result in most overall well-being—that is, maximises sum of whatever makes life worth living, with each person’s equally weighted. The promise utilitarianism reduce simple principle, easily incorporated into policy analysis, economics and decision theory. However, not popular amongst moral philosophers today. This large part due influence Williams’s ‘Integrity Objection’ (1973). Though Integrity Objection has been influential turning against utilitarianism, it also difficult make precise, evidenced by myriad interpretations literature. In this paper I interpret objection holding agents who accept cannot, a matter psychology, be committed their projects. explore other interpretations, finding some inconsistent approach, others relatively answerable utilitarian. psychological problem identify harder for utilitarians avoid, though have begun offer response work.