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I'm curious as to what are some alternate theories of how to do the most good besides a summing-like equation across individuals?

pdonis 11y ago
The problem isn't that there are no "alternate theories" besides utilitarianism. The problem is the idea that "the most good" has some absolute meaning. What if it doesn't? What if there is no well-defined way to "sum across individuals"? What if goods experienced by different people are simply incommensurable? Utilitarianism blithely ignores all these possibilities, and just assumes that every single "good" in the world can be measured on a single numeric scale and summed up.
dragonwriter 11y ago
> I'm curious as to what are some alternate theories of how to do the most good besides a summing-like equation across individuals? See, as one of many alternatives, Rawls works (perhaps most particularly Justice as Fairness, but also the earlier A Theory of Justice) which present an approach which considers the position of different individuals and groups, but does not optimize a summing-like equation (unless you take "summing-like" very loosely.) But, ultimately, what constitutes what is desirable -- "the most good" -- is a subjective decision. Any philosophical/moral discussion of the most good is either about which axioms are most subjectively desirable to choose or which particular things fit a given set of axioms.
- JamesBarney 11y ago
  I'd heard about choice under the veil of ignorance argument before, and I always thought it was really neat. I didn't know what philosopher was associated with that it until now. It's an interesting though experiment but I think we subconsciously way over estimate our chances of being born into similar circumstances and way underestimate being born a poor African child in Somalia. It's also hard to imagine what it would be like to be born with cognitive issues like reduced executive function, psychopathy, or reduced grit. But it seems to me it leads to similar conclusions as utilitarianism, such as 'Effective Altrusim'. The number of situations where these philosophies would differ seems fairly small to me.

pdonis 11y ago

The problem isn't that there are no "alternate theories" besides utilitarianism. The problem is the idea that "the most good" has some absolute meaning. What if it doesn't? What if there is no well-defined way to "sum across individuals"? What if goods experienced by different people are simply incommensurable? Utilitarianism blithely ignores all these possibilities, and just assumes that every single "good" in the world can be measured on a single numeric scale and summed up.

dragonwriter 11y ago

> I'm curious as to what are some alternate theories of how to do the most good besides a summing-like equation across individuals? See, as one of many alternatives, Rawls works (perhaps most particularly Justice as Fairness, but also the earlier A Theory of Justice) which present an approach which considers the position of different individuals and groups, but does not optimize a summing-like equation (unless you take "summing-like" very loosely.) But, ultimately, what constitutes what is desirable -- "the most good" -- is a subjective decision. Any philosophical/moral discussion of the most good is either about which axioms are most subjectively desirable to choose or which particular things fit a given set of axioms.

JamesBarney 11y ago
I'd heard about choice under the veil of ignorance argument before, and I always thought it was really neat. I didn't know what philosopher was associated with that it until now. It's an interesting though experiment but I think we subconsciously way over estimate our chances of being born into similar circumstances and way underestimate being born a poor African child in Somalia. It's also hard to imagine what it would be like to be born with cognitive issues like reduced executive function, psychopathy, or reduced grit. But it seems to me it leads to similar conclusions as utilitarianism, such as 'Effective Altrusim'. The number of situations where these philosophies would differ seems fairly small to me.