= 27d567bc2d48d9f40e9ccc20ea370b15)
Nick_Tarleton comments on My main problem with utilitarianism - Less Wrong
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
= 783df68a0f980790206b9ea87794c5b6)
Loading…= b715d02e85f7b3b4ae65ca3d3e450868)
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Powered by Reddit
= f037147d6e6c911a85753b9abdedda8d)
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (84)
The terminology here is kind of catching me in between a rock and a hard place.
My entire point is that the "utility" of "utilitarianism" might need more complexity than the "utility" of economics, because if someone thinks they prefer a new toaster but they actually wouldn't be any happier with it, I don't place any importance on getting them a new toaster. IANAEBAFAIK economists' utility either would get them the new toaster or doesn't really consider this problem.
...but I also am afraid of straight out saying "Happiness!", because if you do that you're vulnerable to wireheading. Especially with a word like "hedon" which sounds like "hedonism", which is very different from the "happiness" I want to talk about.
CEV might help here, but I do need to think about it more.
My rough impression is that "utilitarianism" is generally taken to mean either hedonistic or preference utilitarianism, but nothing else, and that we should be saying "consequentialism".
I think the "big computation" perspective in The Meaning of Right is sufficient.
Or if you're just looking for a term to use instead of "utility" or "happiness", how about "goodness" or "the good"? (Edit: "value", as steven suggests, is better.)
My impression is that it doesn't need to be pleasure or preference satisfaction; it can be anything that could be seen as "quality of life" or having one's true "interests" satisfied.
Or "value".