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As the title tells, I'm something of an utilitarian. Greatest good for greatest number - the utility maximization - has always seemed to me to be the best way to conduct the society - and your own life, too.
Now, all people have their ideal society, their vision of what things should be like. Of course, this is most pronounced in utopians - communists, libertarians and like - who have a strong vision of a perfect society and would be ready implement some quite radical reforms for it to happen.
Of course, all people aren't utilitarians, and many of these utopists have other moral codes as basis of their utopia. The concept of natural rights as pronounced by Floyd and others, for example. That doesn't matter to me. I'm interested in how much good will the society bring, if implemented. Will the average happiness quotient, if something like that could be imagined, rise?
There are many things involved in this, naturally. Would there be much suffering in implementation of the society? Will the standard of living for most people improve? Considering much of people's happiness depends on their freedom of choice as pertaining to cars and houses and like, how much freedom will there be? Is the society stable against internal or external threats? What are the chances of utopia going horribly wrong, Soviet Union-style? What would be short-term and what would be long-term benefits? Things like those are all important parts of how good the society would be.
As mentioned, some people's ideal society might not lead to greatest good for greatest number, but be based on some other ideals and standards. If that's so, and you can admit, then feel free to do so. Won't be likely to make me value that utopia much, but hey, can't win them all.
Now, all people have their ideal society, their vision of what things should be like. Of course, this is most pronounced in utopians - communists, libertarians and like - who have a strong vision of a perfect society and would be ready implement some quite radical reforms for it to happen.
Of course, all people aren't utilitarians, and many of these utopists have other moral codes as basis of their utopia. The concept of natural rights as pronounced by Floyd and others, for example. That doesn't matter to me. I'm interested in how much good will the society bring, if implemented. Will the average happiness quotient, if something like that could be imagined, rise?
There are many things involved in this, naturally. Would there be much suffering in implementation of the society? Will the standard of living for most people improve? Considering much of people's happiness depends on their freedom of choice as pertaining to cars and houses and like, how much freedom will there be? Is the society stable against internal or external threats? What are the chances of utopia going horribly wrong, Soviet Union-style? What would be short-term and what would be long-term benefits? Things like those are all important parts of how good the society would be.
As mentioned, some people's ideal society might not lead to greatest good for greatest number, but be based on some other ideals and standards. If that's so, and you can admit, then feel free to do so. Won't be likely to make me value that utopia much, but hey, can't win them all.
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