INTRODUCTION
Sometimes, what you ought to do depends on what other people will do: whether or not Dad ought to pick the kids up from school depends on whether Mom is going to do it. This seems obvious enough. Yet, it leads to a problem. Suppose that several agents each have two options: A or B. It would be best if they all did A, significantly worse if they all did B, and worst of all if some did A while others did B. As it happens, each is going to do B, regardless of what the others do. Given how everyone is else going to act, it seems as though each of these agents ought to choose B: since if they were to pick A, they would bring about the worst possible result. Nevertheless, there seems to be something wrong here: after all, they could all pick A and bring about the best result. But how could it be wrong for everyone to do what they ought to do? Cases like this pose an obvious problem for act-consequentialists …
Rowan Mellor, Joint Ought, Philosophy and Public Affairs, volume 52, issue 1, pages 42-68 (Winter 2024). First published: 7 November 2023.
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