I wanted a concrete discussion about how a total utilitarian (TU) should act,
Maybe you should have more clearly said so. And mentioned the less satisfactory measures too.
How do you handle the ‘mere addition paradox’ (Parfit)? Do you
assert that higher utility living is on a completely different scale from, and thus incomparable to, the bottom levels of utility, or
deny that there is anything wrong with the ‘repugnant conclusion’?
(quoting Wikipedia)
It seems to be the latter.
I personally again think that it is not simple addition. Adding a life directly affects all the other lifes around it. This will never be a simple addition (except if you make it so like in Brave New World where new lifes arise in ‘bottles’). Same if you ‘subtract’ below average lifes. Also watch out for the szenarios which from a total utilitarian perspective look good too: wire heading and other psycho engineering which just change your valuation of the state (‘happy slaves’).
Maybe you should have more clearly said so. And mentioned the less satisfactory measures too.
How do you handle the ‘mere addition paradox’ (Parfit)? Do you
assert that higher utility living is on a completely different scale from, and thus incomparable to, the bottom levels of utility, or
deny that there is anything wrong with the ‘repugnant conclusion’?
(quoting Wikipedia)
It seems to be the latter.
I personally again think that it is not simple addition. Adding a life directly affects all the other lifes around it. This will never be a simple addition (except if you make it so like in Brave New World where new lifes arise in ‘bottles’). Same if you ‘subtract’ below average lifes. Also watch out for the szenarios which from a total utilitarian perspective look good too: wire heading and other psycho engineering which just change your valuation of the state (‘happy slaves’).