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Old 04-19-2009, 06:02 AM   #811
sirbruce
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There are troublesome cases in most absolute moralities as well. The classic case is the exhortation to "always tell the truth" -- and then the Nazis show up at your door, asking if Anne Frank is in your attic.

But personally, I'm a fan of morality first, and utilitarianism second. It's *impossible* to know all the plusses and minuses of our actions, and moral guidelines exist to be followed almost regardless of their results. If you're face with two or more equally moral actions then weighing the utility of each to help make one's choice is wise; however, one must undertake it with the full knowledge that one's estimate of the outcomes may be incorrect, and in any case it doesn't make any decision "right" or "wrong", just one "better" and one "worse". But even those evaluations can change over time.
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