Study Questions

  1. According to Smart, there is a distinction between the utility of the action and the utility of the praise of it. What does Smart mean by this claim, and what are its implications? Do you think this distinction is sustainable?
  2. Smart argues that if a rule to act-optimifically were added to the set of rules endorsed by restricted utilitarianism, restricted utilitarianism would collapse into extreme utilitarianism. Is Smart right about this? Defend your answer.
  3. Describe Smart’s watering gardens case. Does extreme or restricted utilitarianism yield the more plausible verdict? Explain your answer.
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