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A question about utilitarianism and selfishness.

-2 abcd_z 29 September 2013 01:03AM

Utilitarianism seems to indicate that the greatest good for the most people generally revolves around their feelings.  A person feeling happy and confident is a desired state, a person in pain and misery is undesirable.

But what about taking selfish actions that hurt another person's feelings?  If I'm in a relationship and breaking up with her would hurt her feelings, does that mean I have a moral obligation to stay with her?  If I have an employee who is well-meaning but isn't working out, am I morally allowed to fire him?  Or what about at a club?  A guy is talking to a woman, and she's ready to go home with him.  I could socially tool him and take her home myself, but doing so would cause him greater unhappiness than I would have felt if I'd left them alone.

In a nutshell, does utilitarianism state that I am morally obliged to curb my selfish desires so that other people can be happy?