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Aggregate utility and the sadistic theatre

It's a classic and very effective critique of utilitarianism. Le Guin's "The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas" has been mentioned. Along the same lines, I enjoyed reading Steven Lukes' "...
Olivier5's user avatar
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Is Ethics essentially the same as Utilitarianism?

No. I agree that we evolved a code of ethics or morality as we have evolved. But ethics is not utilitarianism. Ethics is wider than that. There is an ethical aspect to utilitarianism, but it is wider ...
Meanach's user avatar
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Is Ethics essentially the same as Utilitarianism?

Every attempt to define "good" leads inevitably in a restriction of its meaning, of its value, by containing it in a box of an ideological construct. History and humans decided in favor of ...
Ioannis Paizis's user avatar
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Is Ethics essentially the same as Utilitarianism?

I think the thrust of your thinking is right- we have inherited a sense of what is ethical or moral through evolution, so presumably it helped increase our chances of survival. Perhaps there are two ...
Marco Ocram's user avatar
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Is Ethics essentially the same as Utilitarianism?

How could all ethical questions be reduced to subquestions of, "What makes for the greatest good for the greatest number?" or, "What maximizes the sum of intrinsic value now and through ...
Kristian Berry's user avatar
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What is the moral difference between saving a life and creating a life?

Read this Quora answer to a question about regret. A doctor, an army surgeon, answered. It seems he saved a man who had been injured by an explosive. 10 or so hours of surgery later the man was in a ...
Agent Smith's user avatar
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What is the moral difference between saving a life and creating a life?

To begin, the prevailing attitudes to abortion and other social issues are cultural, which means that you can expect them to be determined by a large number of factors, at least some of which may be ...
Marco Ocram's user avatar
2 votes

What is the moral difference between saving a life and creating a life?

Why do existing persons take precedence over potential people There are likely many philosophers who speak to this in the areas of morality, ethics, and theology. One place where this is central is ...
Annika's user avatar
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