the ends justify the means.
the literal meaning of the phrase is lost. in common use it really means, "you should only include the most concrete, immediate and obvious costs of the means when performing your cost/benefit analysis to justify the ends".
of course the ends justify the means! but you can't go running roughshod over the true costs of the means. just because a cost is abstract or distant or indirect doesn't mean you can ignore it.
since that rant was incomprehensibly abstract, i feel i owe you some case studies. maybe an example about civil liberties, and one about governmental tranparency, and maybe one about lying or stealing just to bring it down to a personal level.
honk if you're a utilitarian
p.s. i fear i may not be drinking enough.
the literal meaning of the phrase is lost. in common use it really means, "you should only include the most concrete, immediate and obvious costs of the means when performing your cost/benefit analysis to justify the ends".
of course the ends justify the means! but you can't go running roughshod over the true costs of the means. just because a cost is abstract or distant or indirect doesn't mean you can ignore it.
since that rant was incomprehensibly abstract, i feel i owe you some case studies. maybe an example about civil liberties, and one about governmental tranparency, and maybe one about lying or stealing just to bring it down to a personal level.
honk if you're a utilitarian
p.s. i fear i may not be drinking enough.
oh, and my journal entry wasn't meant to expand my guilt, so don't think too hard