Question Actions can obviously be unethical, but what about emotions, or opinions? If you have an opinion or an emotion but do not act on them in an unethical way, can they still be unethical? Is hate, for example, an unethical emotion? Is the opinion that illegal immigrants should be shot at the border an unethical opinion, if one does not in any way act on this opinion or political support such measures?

Accepted:
July 5, 2011

Comments

There seem to be forms of hedonistic utilitarianism (maximize pleasure) that might allow for the permissibility of unethical opinions, provided they are not likely to lead to acts of great disutility and the one who has such opinions enjoys holding them. That, in any case, was once advanced as an objection to J.J.C. Smart's brand of utilitarianism. But I suggest it is difficult to insure that unethical opinions don't impact our action. Someone who thinks illegal immigrants should be shot may not do any shooting, but he or she might injure or harm an immigrant, given the chance. Also, ethics (in the west and east) is often (though not always) cast in terms of love and hate one is to love justice, hate cruelty. Someone with the unethical opinions you describe --wanting to shoot illegal immigrants rather than merely prevent them entering one's country seems to be someone who is loving cruelty. And I think many of us do think that cruel desires and pleasures are ethically repulsive in themselves. In the course of some research yesterday, I came across on the web Himmler's speech in the early 1940s about the importance (and duty) of the SS killing all Jews. It is absolutely horrifying. Now imagine a person NEVER acts in any anti-simitic way, but he listens with pleasure over and over again to Himmler and sympathizes with the SS (imagine, in his opinion, never acted on, this person wishes the Nazis has succeeded). I think most of us would see this as a profound flaw or deep sin.

Just one other thought: I have replied without making any appeal to religious ethics (though I suppose the concept of "sin" is in the neighborhood of religion). But for many Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and others, one's interior life (beliefs and desires) are of profound ethical and religious significance, and not just one's external behavior.