I have mixed feelings on this question. On the one hand, I agree that scope insensitivity should be avoided, and utility should count linearly over organisms. But at the same time, I’m not really sure the dust specks are even … bad. If I could press a button to eliminate dust specks from the world, then (ignoring instrumental considerations, which would obviously dominate) I’m not sure whether I would bother.
Maybe I’m not imagining the dust specks as being painful, whereas Eliezer had in mind more of a splinter that is slightly painful. Or we can imagine other annoying experiences like spilling your coffee or sitting on a cold toilet seat. Here again, I’m not sure if these experiences are even bad. They build character, and maybe they have a place even in paradise.
There are many experiences that are actually bad, like severe depression, severe anxiety, breaking your leg, pain during a hospital operation, etc. These do not belong in paradise.
If you imagine yourself signing up for 3^^^3 dust specks, that might fill you with despair, but in that case, your negative experience is more than a dust speck—you’re also imagining the drudgery of sitting through 3^^^3 of them. Just the dust specks by themselves may not be bad, if only one is experienced by any given individual, and no dust speck triggers more intense negative reactions.
There’s nothing important about the dust-specks here; they were chosen as a concrete illustration of the smallest unit of disutility. If thinking about dust specks in particular doesn’t work for you (you’re not alone in this), I recommend picking a different illustration and substituting as you read.
I have mixed feelings on this question. On the one hand, I agree that scope insensitivity should be avoided, and utility should count linearly over organisms. But at the same time, I’m not really sure the dust specks are even … bad. If I could press a button to eliminate dust specks from the world, then (ignoring instrumental considerations, which would obviously dominate) I’m not sure whether I would bother.
Maybe I’m not imagining the dust specks as being painful, whereas Eliezer had in mind more of a splinter that is slightly painful. Or we can imagine other annoying experiences like spilling your coffee or sitting on a cold toilet seat. Here again, I’m not sure if these experiences are even bad. They build character, and maybe they have a place even in paradise.
There are many experiences that are actually bad, like severe depression, severe anxiety, breaking your leg, pain during a hospital operation, etc. These do not belong in paradise.
If you imagine yourself signing up for 3^^^3 dust specks, that might fill you with despair, but in that case, your negative experience is more than a dust speck—you’re also imagining the drudgery of sitting through 3^^^3 of them. Just the dust specks by themselves may not be bad, if only one is experienced by any given individual, and no dust speck triggers more intense negative reactions.
There’s nothing important about the dust-specks here; they were chosen as a concrete illustration of the smallest unit of disutility. If thinking about dust specks in particular doesn’t work for you (you’re not alone in this), I recommend picking a different illustration and substituting as you read.