= 27d567bc2d48d9f40e9ccc20ea370b15)
buybuydandavis comments on A question about utilitarianism and selfishness. - Less Wrong Discussion
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 (26)
Probably rarely. But you and I are in a position where someone, somewhere, would get more units of happiness from our efforts than we would. You could be working night and day, without let up, to feed the hungry, to vaccinate the unprotected, to shelter the exposed,..
That is your lot in life, under the Utilitarian God. That is the debt you owe. And if you don't pay it, day after day after day without let, without any hope of relief, you're evil in his eyes, as you are in your own, as long as you choose to worship him and are consistent in your mind about the debt of servitude you owe.
Trying to maximize ethical behavior under utilitarianism would probably mean getting as much money as you can, and giving almost all (as much as you can, to remain able to do your job) to the most efficient charity. You can spend money on yourself only as much as is necessary to keep the process running; same about free time.
You are correct about the de facto servitude. No excuse for luxuries while someone else is suffering. (Except if you could show that enjoying the luxury increases your productivity enough to balance the spending.)