Ethics Thread Spat: Utilitarianism Should Go From Qualitative to Quantitative, Not Reverse
irrepldjw · x · 2026-09-13
- irrepldjw pushes back hard on jessicata, calling her points "wildly implausible": utilitarianism and similar theories should proceed from qualitative to quantitative judgments, with quantification making value judgments explicit
- Under mild assumptions about people's interests, egalitarianism would recommend wealth redistribution or collectivization under capitalism — opponents typically appeal to other principles (libertarian property rights, Nietzsche's "ethics is for the weak") rather than denying the implication
- Accuses the other side of reversing the reasoning order: describing scenarios first and back-deriving principles
Related event: X Users Debate Utilitarianism and Whether AI Will Outcompete Humans(3 posts)→
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