A Utility Monster is a thought experiment by Robert Nozick, which critisizes utilitarianism. He asks us to imagine a monster which recieves more utility (more pleasure basically) from each unit of resources than any humans do. It is therefore logical, and indeed morally required, to give everything to the monster. For example, if we had a piece of cake, the Utility Monster would get 1000 times more joy out of eating it than any human, so the action that would cause the most total pleasure would always be to give the cake to the monster.
The pun based 'Utility Monster' depicted in the comic gets a great deal of pleasure from destroying pipes. Apparently that pleasure is so great it outweighs the pain it would cause us to have the pipes destroyed. Since that would still result in more net pleasure, it is morally required to destroy the pipes. Peter Singer is a contemporary utilitarian.
For example, if we had a piece of cake, the Utility Monster would get 1000 times more joy out of eating it than any human, so the action that would cause the most total pleasure would always be to give the cake to the monster.
"Oh yeah? Well what if I took your idea to an impossible extreme? Not so smart then, huh?"
alright but if you just included the assumption that all people are capable of the same levels of happiness and pain then the main thing about utilitarianism is that it does encourage people to think about the welfare of others
maybe but that's not a base assumption of the philosophy so much as it is the person doing the value judgement. the situation is more nuanced than utilitarians being cartoon villains
Most of them are either completely useless or actively harmful.
Like the one about the AI that will punish anyone who didn't actively work towards making it. At best it's useless because it will never exist, at worst it's actively harmful because the existence of the thought experiment itself will cause people to make it real.
But this one isn't, this is a valid critique at a very obvious and very real issue with an ethical framework that is at the core of the socio-political structure we currently live under.
basically, morality is a lie, eat hot chip, kill the rich, do nice things because the community of humanity is a living body that thrives on cooperation
we must not see our devotion to others
as do-gooding merely for others; rather we must conceive our lives and
interests as bound up with those of others.
"Oh yeah? Well what if I took your idea to an impossible extreme? Not so smart then, huh?"
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That isn't how he already makes them?
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alright but if you just included the assumption that all people are capable of the same levels of happiness and pain then the main thing about utilitarianism is that it does encourage people to think about the welfare of others
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medical care during an emergency is exactly where utilitarianism thrives the most and the focus is on maximising the number of lives saved
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I would argue triage follows the moral logic of utilitarianism
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maybe but that's not a base assumption of the philosophy so much as it is the person doing the value judgement. the situation is more nuanced than utilitarians being cartoon villains
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do you know what a thought experiment is
Most of them are either completely useless or actively harmful.
Like the one about the AI that will punish anyone who didn't actively work towards making it. At best it's useless because it will never exist, at worst it's actively harmful because the existence of the thought experiment itself will cause people to make it real.
But this one isn't, this is a valid critique at a very obvious and very real issue with an ethical framework that is at the core of the socio-political structure we currently live under.
The Torment Nexus is right around the corner, as inspired by the book Please Don't Build the Torment Nexus! :so-true:
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basically, morality is a lie, eat hot chip, kill the rich, do nice things because the community of humanity is a living body that thrives on cooperation
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we must not see our devotion to others as do-gooding merely for others; rather we must conceive our lives and interests as bound up with those of others.
I don't want to give my cake to the monster :sadness:
I completely missed the pun.
I am ashamed.