I totally agree that utilitarianism is overhyped nonsense, and true values are much more selfish and unsympathetic. That said, given massive power, I think a non-significant fraction of my resources would go to public works projects and not just my throne.
I totally agree that utilitarianism is overhyped nonsense, and true values are much more selfish and unsympathetic. That said, given massive power, I think a non-significant fraction of my resources would go to public works projects and not just my throne.
Exactly; just because you create your own values and live by them doesn’t mean you have to stop helping your neighbor cross the street, or mandate that you start turning cherry blossom trees into biodiesel to power your strip-mining robots. It just means that you have defined your own preferences and aesthetics and act on that knowledge. “Don’t make a future too ugly for you to enjoy it” is as good a maxim as any.
I really like the “maximize awesomeness” idea BTW. It’s very catchy and cuts away a lot of the fat of the issue.
Well said. This is true.
You mean like this?
I totally agree that utilitarianism is overhyped nonsense, and true values are much more selfish and unsympathetic. That said, given massive power, I think a non-significant fraction of my resources would go to public works projects and not just my throne.
Exactly; just because you create your own values and live by them doesn’t mean you have to stop helping your neighbor cross the street, or mandate that you start turning cherry blossom trees into biodiesel to power your strip-mining robots. It just means that you have defined your own preferences and aesthetics and act on that knowledge. “Don’t make a future too ugly for you to enjoy it” is as good a maxim as any.
I really like the “maximize awesomeness” idea BTW. It’s very catchy and cuts away a lot of the fat of the issue.