Question

Present a case or scenatrio in which a consequentialist might morally approve of an action and a Kantian would morally disapprove of it. And then Present a case in which a Kantian would morally approve of an action and a consequentialist might morally disapprove of it. Explain why each theorist has their view.

Answer 1

A case that a consequentialist would morally approve of but a Kantian would disapprove of:

Suppose a police officer has received some information about a terrorist planning to plant a bomb in New York City. The officer is able to get hold of the suspect but the suspect refuses to part with any information. However, the officer learns that the suspect is extremely attached to his wife. If the officer inflicts some harm on her, there is a good chance that the suspect will give information about the bomb.

The officer decides to cut off a finger of the suspects wife. He suspect gets anxious at the prospect of more harm to her and blurts out all the information about the bomb. The officer is now able to diffuse it on time and save the lives of scores of individuals. This is a scenario which a consequentialst would approve of. This is because even if an individual is harmed, it has lead to a favourable outcome for a large number of individuals. A Kantian would disapprove of this because the suspect’s wife is being used as a means to attain an end, and a human being should never be treated that way.

A case that a Kantian would approve of but a consequentialist would disapprove of:

Suppose Rebecca finds out that her best friend, Jane, is cheating on her husband, Tom. Rebecca disapproves of the affair and threatens to inform Tom about it. However, Jane begs her to keep this a secret as her entire family would fall apart. Jane also makes a promise to end her affair immediately. Ultimately, Rebecca goes ahead and tells Tom about the affair. He ends up shooting his wife and two children in a fit of rage and is then sent to prison.

Rebecca’s action is something that Kan would approve of, because she chose not to lie. According to Kant, lying to someone diminishes their value as a human being. However, a consequentialist would very much disapprove of this situation, as it ended up in a loss of three lives and the arrest of one.