jkaufman comments on A (small) critique of total utilitarianism - Less Wrong

36 Post author: Stuart_Armstrong 26 June 2012 12:36PM

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Comment author: shminux 25 June 2012 05:08:47PM 3 points [-]

In total utilitarianism, it is a morally neutral act to kill someone (in a painless and unexpected manner) and creating/giving birth to another being of comparable happiness. In fact if one can kill a billion people to create a billion and one, one is morally compelled to do so.

I dare to say that no self-professed "total utilitarian" actually aliefs this.

Comment author: jkaufman 26 June 2012 03:06:48AM 0 points [-]

Assuming perfection in the methods, ending N lives and replacing them with N+1 equally happy lives doesn't bother me. Death isn't positive or negative except in as much as it removes the chance of future joy/suffering by the one killed and saddens those left behind.

With physical humans you won't have perfect methods and any attempt to apply this will end in tragedy. But with AIs (emulated brains or fully artificial) it might well apply.