This project and many participants on this forum this week also seem to be neglecting the positive utilitarian perspective. 1 human saved has the potential to make an immense positive impact on the world, whereas animals do not.
Possible effects like these are worth considering, but they’re not part of moral weights in the sense meant here. Moral weights are only one thing you should consider when comparing possible interventions, not an all-things-considered score, including all possible flow-through effects.
As such, what is at stake here is not “the positive utilitarian perspective”. Moral weights do include positive welfare of individuals, they just don’t include possible (positive or negative) side-effects of helping different individuals.
Thank you—that is helpful and does make more sense. I was under the false impression that moral weights were designed to be the only thing people ought to consider when comparing interventions, and I’m curious how many people on both sides of the argument have a similar misconception.
Possible effects like these are worth considering, but they’re not part of moral weights in the sense meant here. Moral weights are only one thing you should consider when comparing possible interventions, not an all-things-considered score, including all possible flow-through effects.
As such, what is at stake here is not “the positive utilitarian perspective”. Moral weights do include positive welfare of individuals, they just don’t include possible (positive or negative) side-effects of helping different individuals.
Thank you—that is helpful and does make more sense. I was under the false impression that moral weights were designed to be the only thing people ought to consider when comparing interventions, and I’m curious how many people on both sides of the argument have a similar misconception.