I’ve responded to some of Vladmir’s comments, but just a few things you touched on that he didn’t:
Utility monsters: if a utility monster just means someone who gets the same amount of pleasure from an ice cream that I get from an orgasm, then it just doesn’t seem that controversial to me that giving them an ice cream is as desirable as giving me an orgasm. Once we get to things like “their very experience is a million times stronger and more vivid than you could ever imagine” we’re talking a completely different neurological makeup that can actually hold more qualia, which is where the ant comes in.
I don’t see a philosophical distinction between the morality an individual should use and the morality a government should use (although there’s a very big practical distinction since governments are single actors in their own territories and so can afford to ignore some game theoretic and decision theoretic principles that individuals have to take into account). The best state of the world is the best state of the world, no matter who’s considering it.
I use mostly examples from government because moral dilemmas on the individual level are less common, less standardized, and less well-known.
I’ve responded to some of Vladmir’s comments, but just a few things you touched on that he didn’t:
Utility monsters: if a utility monster just means someone who gets the same amount of pleasure from an ice cream that I get from an orgasm, then it just doesn’t seem that controversial to me that giving them an ice cream is as desirable as giving me an orgasm. Once we get to things like “their very experience is a million times stronger and more vivid than you could ever imagine” we’re talking a completely different neurological makeup that can actually hold more qualia, which is where the ant comes in.
I don’t see a philosophical distinction between the morality an individual should use and the morality a government should use (although there’s a very big practical distinction since governments are single actors in their own territories and so can afford to ignore some game theoretic and decision theoretic principles that individuals have to take into account). The best state of the world is the best state of the world, no matter who’s considering it.
I use mostly examples from government because moral dilemmas on the individual level are less common, less standardized, and less well-known.