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1、CausingandPreventingSeriousHarmAuthor(s):PeterUngerReviewedwork(s):Source:PhilosophicalStudies:AnInternationalJournalforPhilosophyintheAnalyticTradition,Vol.65,No.3(Mar.,1992),pp.227-255Publishedby:SpringerStableURL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/4320286.Accessed:03/02/20
2、1310:28YouruseoftheJSTORarchiveindicatesyouracceptanceoftheTerms&ConditionsofUse,availableat.http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp.JSTORisanot-for-profitservicethathelpsscholars,researchers,andstudentsdiscover,use,andbuilduponawiderangeofcontentinatru
3、steddigitalarchive.Weuseinformationtechnologyandtoolstoincreaseproductivityandfacilitatenewformsofscholarship.FormoreinformationaboutJSTOR,pleasecontactsupport@jstor.org..SpringeriscollaboratingwithJSTORtodigitize,preserveandextendaccesstoPhilosophicalStudies:AnInterna
4、tionalJournalforPhilosophyintheAnalyticTradition.http://www.jstor.orgThiscontentdownloadedonSun,3Feb201310:28:12AMAllusesubjecttoJSTORTermsandConditionsPETERUNGERCAUSINGANDPREVENTINGSERIOUSHARM(Received24July,1991)Whateverelsealsoshouldbedone,it'sclearthat,intryingtoar
5、ticulateanadequateethics,weshouldattainanunderstandingofourownbasicmoralvalues.Howmightwebetterunderstandtheseethicalvaluesthatmostofusshare?Almostentirely,ourinsightwillcomefromtwomainsources.First,andontheonehand,wemayconfrontourselveswithgeneralconsiderations-genera
6、lprecepts,generaldistinctions,etc.-and,whetherdirectlyorthroughreasoningaboutthem,wemayassesstheirappeal.Inillustration,considerthisgeneralprecept:Otherthingsequal,itismorallybettertopreventseriousharmfrombefallinginnocentpeoplethantoallowsuchharmtobefallinnocents.Ashi
7、ghlyintuitive,thisprincipleisperfectlyacceptable.Naturaltosay,we'vejustreliedontheintuitivedeliveranceofourgeneralmoralcommonsense.Second,andontheotherhand,wemayconfrontourselveswithparticularcasesthatareofsomeethicalmoment.Inmanyofthesecases,astheliteraturemakesclear,
8、theagentcanpreventseriousharmbefallingsomeinnocentpeopleonlyifshecausesseriousharmtoothers.Aboutalmostanysuchcase,one