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But even that isn't the true bottom line. If you want the true bottom line, you have to ask: What is the net effect on utility for the entire population?
by tmoertel 3y ago
But even that isn't the true bottom line. If you want the true bottom line, you have to ask: What is the net effect on utility for the entire population?
- skybrian 3y agoThat's one zoom level. Another one that's just as relevant is: What is the effect on me, personally? And there are other zoom levels in between. None of these zoom levels are more "true" than the others.
- selectodude 3y agoThe government's job is to pass laws that benefit the population at large. They could pass a law saying "skybrian gets $100,000,000/yr" and it would be awesome for you. It would be a stupid law.
- skybrian 3y agoYes, of course. But which population? Most of us aren't national politicians. A mayor, for example, might be more interested in what the effect is for their city.
- ijijijjij 3y agoIts job is also to protect minorities...
- randomdata 3y agoThe government’s job is to pass laws that the people asked for. While it is reasonable to think that the population will act in its own self-interest, that is not a requirement.
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 3y ago> The government’s job is to pass laws that the people asked for Many governments appear to have lost their way...or more likely they just define "the people" as the folks who donate to their next campaign.
- randomdata 3y agoMost likely the people have lost their way. It is pretty clear the vast majority of people standing amongst us have never even talked to the government to say what laws they want – or what laws they don't want – even just once in their life, let alone on an ongoing basis as is required for government to know what to do as time marches forward. For better or worse, government is not made of mind readers. So, government has to go on what the small few people who do voice their position have to say. Government is merely the term that identifies a group of employees who work for the people. If said employees are not doing their job well, that's not on the employees, that's on bad management at the top. A fish rots from the head down, as they say.
- kelseyfrog 3y agoYou can zoom out even more to, "What's the effect on all of future humanity?" Though that's much more difficult to answer, why should we discount them for the only inconvenience of not being born yet?
- skybrian 3y agoYou can, but which timeline? Predicting the future is very difficult, so I prefer to stick with actually existing people. Expectant parents should probably take a different point of view, though!
- kelseyfrog 3y agoEven in the abstract, do we have any responsibility to future humanity? Does this extend to economic policy?
- MichaelZuo 3y agoAgain you have to specify specific timelines, otherwise it would be an infinite number of potential futures, with an infinite responsibility in the abstract.
- kelseyfrog 3y agoThis is a good place to remind ourselves that we shouldn't let perfect get in the way of good.
- MichaelZuo 3y agoThis doesn’t make sense, it’s not dependent on quality. You literally would have to spend an infinite amount of time pondering an infinite number of possible futures to accomplish anything, at even the lowest possible amount of ‘good’. Hence it’s physically impossible to advance a single nanometer on this line of reasoning.
- jon_richards 3y agoNot quite. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_monster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_monster