ArisKatsaris comments on Humans are utility monsters - Less Wrong

67 Post author: PhilGoetz 16 August 2013 09:05PM

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Comment author: ArisKatsaris 25 August 2013 10:12:51PM *  2 points [-]

If we're talking preference utilitarianism, in the "timeless sense" you have drastically reduced the utility of the person, since the person (while still living) would have preferred not to be so killed; and you went against that preference.

It's because their prior utility (their preference not to be killed) counts, that killing someone is drastically different from them not being born in the first place.