I would think the impartiality and demandingness of utilitarianism are the main motivators to do so much good. Others’ interests matter as much as your own, up to equal consideration of equal interests, and should be promoted to the same extent, all else equal. My impression of Kantian ethics is that it’s much more permissible to pursue your own interests even if it means not promoting others’ to a greater extent. On the other hand, in utilitarianism, your own interests are effectively dominated by others’, and so should basically be treated instrumentally (i.e. you need to take care of yourself to help others sustainably and effectively), although they do still matter in themselves.
That’s interesting and I think that’s true to a certain extent, the bottomless pits of suffering and all that. Though Kantianism does make some pretty strong demands in its own way, for instance in the way that it really hammers home the idea of seeing things from others’ points of view (via the Formula of Humanity), or in the way that it considers some duties to be absolute (“perfect”).
I believe that Korsgaard also thinks we have duties to help others’ promote their own good if it’s at no great cost to ourselves, though these duties are not as strong as those not to violate other people’s autonomy. I think maybe these sorts of duties lead to something like Effective Altruism, though I haven’t really thought all of this through yet, or read much of the relevant literature, so what do I know.
I would think the impartiality and demandingness of utilitarianism are the main motivators to do so much good. Others’ interests matter as much as your own, up to equal consideration of equal interests, and should be promoted to the same extent, all else equal. My impression of Kantian ethics is that it’s much more permissible to pursue your own interests even if it means not promoting others’ to a greater extent. On the other hand, in utilitarianism, your own interests are effectively dominated by others’, and so should basically be treated instrumentally (i.e. you need to take care of yourself to help others sustainably and effectively), although they do still matter in themselves.
That’s interesting and I think that’s true to a certain extent, the bottomless pits of suffering and all that. Though Kantianism does make some pretty strong demands in its own way, for instance in the way that it really hammers home the idea of seeing things from others’ points of view (via the Formula of Humanity), or in the way that it considers some duties to be absolute (“perfect”).
I believe that Korsgaard also thinks we have duties to help others’ promote their own good if it’s at no great cost to ourselves, though these duties are not as strong as those not to violate other people’s autonomy. I think maybe these sorts of duties lead to something like Effective Altruism, though I haven’t really thought all of this through yet, or read much of the relevant literature, so what do I know.