Volume 9, Number 2
September 2015
ARTICLE

Side Effects and the Structure of Deliberation

Volume 9, Number 2, September 2015, Pages 1–19
https://doi.org/10.26556/jesp.v9i2.90
PDFPDF

Abstract

There is a puzzle about the very possibility of foreseen but unintended side effects, and solving this puzzle requires us to revise our basic picture of the structure of practical deliberation. The puzzle is that, while it seems that we can rationally foresee, but not intend, bringing about foreseen side effects, it also seems that we rationally must decide to bring about foreseen side effects and that we intend to do whatever we decide to do. I propose solving this puzzle by rejecting the idea that we intend to do whatever we decide to do. My solution involves taking account of the underappreciated role that qualified intentions play in deliberation. I also argue that this solution fares better than those that instead reject the idea that we rationally must decide to bring about foreseen side effects, for these solutions are committed to rejecting the even more compelling idea that decisions rationally serve as the conclusions of practical deliberation.
Copyright © 2015 Grant Rozeboom
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.
|

Caring and the Boundary-Driven Structure of Practical Deliberation

Jeffrey Seidman

The Essence of Structural Irrationality: The Impossibility of Attitudinal Success

Julian Fink

Resolution and Resolve: Rationally Resisting Temptation

Abigail Bruxvoort

Contextualizing, Clarifying, and Defending the Doctrine of Double Effect

Melissa Moschella

Radical Cognitivism About Practical Reason

William Ratoff

Uncertainty and Intention

Benjamin Lennertz

Actual Guidance Is Enough

Stefan Fischer

Action and Production

Stephen J. White

All Reasons Are Fundamentally for Attitudes

Conor McHugh and Jonathan Way

Blaming for Unreasonableness: Accountability Without Ill Will

Alisabeth Ayars

Planning on a Prior Intention

Facundo M. Alonso

Is There Value in Keeping a Promise? A Response to Joseph Raz

Crescente Molina

Portico