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Inverse View
It is not the case that Any duty of benevolence, even non-maximizing, requires a principled threshold distinguishing permissible partiality from morally arbitrary favoritism.
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Reasons For
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Reason for
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1.
The threshold itself may be as arbitrary as the partiality it constrains—merely relocating rather than solving the problem.
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2.
Some meaningful partial duties (love, friendship) resist reduction to principles and lose their character when formalized.
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3.
Non-maximizing benevolence permits supererogatory choices; demanding principled thresholds overintellectualizes permissible discretion.
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Reasons Against
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Reason against
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1.
Without principled thresholds, any preference for friends/family becomes indistinguishable from racism or nepotism in structure.
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2.
Moral agents must be able to justify their choices to others; arbitrary favoritism fails this publicity requirement.
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3.
Special relationships generate genuine duties (to children, spouses) that require principled boundaries to avoid moral chaos.
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