RT Article
T1 The Moral Oracle’s Test
JF Ethical theory and moral practice
VO 17
IS 4
SP 643
OP 651
A1 Hansson, Sven Ove
LA English
PB Springer Science + Business Media B. V
YR 2014
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1785698389
AB When presented with a situation involving an agent’s choice between alternative actions, a moral oracle says what the agent is allowed to do. The oracle bases her advice on some moral theory, but the nature of that theory is not known by us. The moral oracle’s test consists in determining whether a series of questions to the oracle can be so constructed that her answers will reveal which of two given types of theories she adheres to. The test can be applied to moral theories in order to determine if they differ in their recommendations for action. Based on this test, a terminology is developed to specify different forms and degrees of distinguishability between moral theories, or types of theories, in terms of their recommendations for action. In conclusion, the test is applied to consequentialism and utilitarianism.
K1 Utilitarianism
K1 Broad consequentialism
K1 Consequentialism
K1 Condensed example
K1 Moral advice
K1 Moral Theory
K1 Moral oracle
DO 10.1007/s10677-014-9500-5