Konsekwencjalizm a tajemnica: obrona ezoterycznej moralności [SECRECY IN CONSEQUENTIALISM: A DEFENCE OF ESOTERIC MORALITY]

Abstract

Sidgwick’s defence of esoteric morality has been heavily criticized, for examplein Bernard Williams’s condemnation of it as a ‘Government House utilitarianism’.It is also at odds with the idea of morality defended by Kant, Rawls, Bernard Gert,Brad Hooker, and T.M. Scanlon. Yet it does seem to be an implication of consequentialismthat it is sometimes right to do in secret what it would not be right todo openly, or to advocate publicly. We defend Sidgwick on this issue, and showthat accepting the possibility of esoteric morality makes it possible to explain whywe should accept consequentialism, even while we may feel disapproval towardssome of its implications.

Keywords

• esoteric morality
• consequencialism
• publicity
• utilitarianism