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ChristianKl comments on Open Thread for February 11 - 17 - Less Wrong Discussion
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I think you are taking this sentence out of context. I am not trying to present an argument in favor of utilitarianism. I was trying to explain why empathy is not necessary for utilitarianism.
I interpreted the question as "Why (other than my empathy) should I try to maximize other people's utility?"
Right, and here is your answer:
I don't understand why this is a reason "to maximize other people's utility".
You can entangle your own utility with other's utility, so that what maximizes your utility also maximizes their utility and vice versa. Your terminal value does not change to maximizing other people's utility, but it becomes a side effect.
So you are basically saying that sometimes it is in your own self-interest ("own utility") to cooperate with other people. Sure, that's a pretty obvious observation. I still don't see how it leads to utilitarianism.
If you terminal value is still self-interest but it so happens that there is a side-effect of increasing other people's utility -- that doesn't look like utilitarianism to me.
I was only trying to make the obvious observation.
Just trying to satisfy your empathy does not really look like pure utilitarianism either.