The moral murderer. A (more) effective counterexample to consequentialism

Abstract

This work aims to offer an effective counterexample against consequentialism, which is a moral theory that evaluates the morality of an action based on its consequences. The counterexample, called “The Moral Murderer,” depicts a rational person, Tom, who commits murder in order to be executed, believing that his death will deter others from committing similar crimes and thereby save more lives than were lost due to his own action. The scenario is constructed in a way to specifically address objections that consequentialists raise against counterexamples such as the famous “Transplant” or “Judge” arguments, which are commonly dismissed for being unrealistic or undermining basic social institutions. The author argues that The Moral Murderer is a valid and effective counterexample because it assumes realistic causal connections, institutions that work as they do in the real world, and institutions that are defensible from a consequentialist point of view. – AI-generated abstract.