On the auto-cannibalism of negative utlitarianism (NU): What is NU?: Professor Popper has proposed a negative formulation of the utilitarian principle, so that we should replace Aim at the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number by The least amount of avoidable suffering for all . What does it lead to?: It would be the ruler’s duty on NU grounds to use a weapon which would instantly and painlessly destroy the human race. This is the traditional reductio ad absurdum of NU. Here is a new one: NU does now and could in the future cause great suffering. A misguided NU who tries to destroy the human race will inevitably fail (it is far too great an undertaking for it to succeed very easily) and so will cause great suffering unending; NUs today are obsessed with pain, are more prone to depression and pessimism, are likely to dismiss pleasure as neutral or irrelevant, etc.--in short, they derive less pleasure from life, and live, at best, sub-optimal existences, and at worst, lives less desirable than non-existence. Conclusion: In order to follow NU logic where it leads, and achieve the least amount of avoidable suffering for all, it may be advisable to throw the NU meme away for good.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 03:13:03 +0000
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