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TheOtherDave comments on Does utilitarianism "require" extreme self sacrifice? If not why do people commonly say it does? - Less Wrong Discussion

7 Post author: Princess_Stargirl 09 December 2014 08:32AM

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Comment author: Dagon 10 December 2014 08:09:02AM -1 points [-]

Okay, but it sounds like either the theory is quite incomplete, or your limit of N is counter to your moral beliefs. What do you use to decide that world utility would not be improved by N+1 personal inconvenience, or to decide that you don't care about the world as much as yourself?

Comment author: TheOtherDave 10 December 2014 04:09:03PM 1 point [-]

I don't need a theory to decide I'm unwilling to sign up for more than N personal inconvenience; I can observe it as an experimental result.

it sounds like either the theory is quite incomplete, or your limit of N is counter to your moral beliefs

Yes, both of those seem fairly likely.

It sounds like you're suggesting that only a complete moral theory serves any purpose, and that I am in reality internally consistent... have I understood you correctly? If so, can you say more about why you believe those things?