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Quote by Allen W. Wood

“Consequentialist theories begin with a very simple and undoubtedly valid point: Every action aims at a future end, and is seen as a means to it.”

Quote by Allen W. Wood

Author

Allen W. Wood, born in 1942, is a renowned professor in the field of philosophy. He has made significant contributions to ethics and political philosophy, with a rich academic career that spans several decades. Wood's research has influenced scholars worldwide, and his works have provided new insights into moral and political theories. more

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“One rational standard of action is how well it promotes the end it seeks. Another standard is whether it aims at ends which are good. Both of these, but especially the former, depend on judgments of fact.”

Wells Ends Facts Action Depends Judgment Standards Aim Rational Former

Author:Allen W. Wood

“Utilitarians are usually empiricists who think they can solve every problem by accumulating enough empirical facts. They do not realize that thinking as well as experience is necessary to know anything or get anything right.”

Thinking Knows Wells Enough Facts Problem Realizing Solve

Author:Allen W. Wood

“Philosophy is about getting the facts right, but it is also about thinking rightly about them. Philosophy is more about the latter than the former.”

Thinking Philosophy Facts Former Latter

Author:Allen W. Wood

“Empiricist philosophy always tends to be anti-philosophy (and is often proud of it).”

Philosophy Proud

Author:Allen W. Wood

“People are often most proud of precisely those things of which they should most be ashamed.”

People Should Proud Ashamed

Author:Allen W. Wood

“Consequentialist theories pretend that we can set some great big ends (the general happiness, human flourishing), provide ourselves with definite enough conceptions of them to make them the objects of instrumental reasoning, and then obtain enough reliable information about what actions will best promote them that we could regulate our conduct by these considerations alone.”

Humans Ends Enough Bigs Action Information Objects Theory Reasoning Consideration Conception Definite Flourishing

Author:Allen W. Wood

“In fact people do not know enough about themselves and what is good for them to form a sufficiently definite conception of the general happiness (or whatever the end is) to establish definite rules for its pursuit.”

People Knows Ends Enough Facts Form Pursuit Conception Definite

Author:Allen W. Wood

“We cannot predict the effects of our actions, especially our collective actions over generations or centuries, to use instrumental reasoning toward these big final ends to tell us what we ought to do.”

Ends Use Bigs Action Generations Effects Century Ought Finals Reasoning Collectives Our Actions Collective Action

Author:Allen W. Wood

“It is rational to choose the right means to your ends to develop very elegant abstract formal theories of rational choice, and then turn these into what look like moral theories. Philosophers tend to be ravished by the formal beauty of such theories, and they don't pay much attention to the fact that our human limitations make them pretty useless in practice, while the simple point about instrumental reasoning is too shallow to be of much real moral interest.”

Humans Looks Mean Real Ends Facts Turns Choices Interest Simple Pay Attention Moral Practice Theory Philosopher Rational Limitation Useless Abstract Reasoning Formal Shallow Elegant

Author:Allen W. Wood

“When consequentialist theories are developed in terms of an equally shallow psychology of the good - such as a crude form of hedonism - the results can sometimes strike sensible people as revolting and inhuman. People can be reduced to simple repositories of positive or negative sensory states, and their humanity is lost sight of entirely.”

People Sometimes States Form Humanity Lost Term Simple Results Psychology Theory Negative Sight Strikes Sensible Shallow Crude Sensory Inhuman Hedonism

Author:Allen W. Wood