I think you must be misreading me somehow. I’m simply saying that I think “if a policy was successful it very probably increased net happiness.” And that if someone applies the phrase “that policy was successful” they will likely also be willing to apply the phrase “that policy increased net happiness.” These are empirical probabilistic claims, which can be falsified, and are certainly not meaningless. LWers don’t use Aristotelian concept theory for definition, for the most part we treat definitions more like pointers to empirical clusters of roughly similar things, as here .
Could you give me three examples of a successful policy which doesn’t increase net happiness, or even out the spread of happiness, or make more options for happiness getting? I’ll give up the point if you (or anyone else) can.
The Holocaust, and more generally most of Hitler’s political policies, as distinct from the military ones.
North Korea’s closed borders.
The US’s policy of propping up US-friendly dictators in the third world.
Ok, but you and I would both say these examples increased suffering, and that they were not good ideas, or nice. Therefor these are not examples of the form i asked for.
I think you must be misreading me somehow. I’m simply saying that I think “if a policy was successful it very probably increased net happiness.” And that if someone applies the phrase “that policy was successful” they will likely also be willing to apply the phrase “that policy increased net happiness.” These are empirical probabilistic claims, which can be falsified, and are certainly not meaningless. LWers don’t use Aristotelian concept theory for definition, for the most part we treat definitions more like pointers to empirical clusters of roughly similar things, as here .
What question am I dodging exactly?
The Holocaust, and more generally most of Hitler’s political policies, as distinct from the military ones.
North Korea’s closed borders.
The US’s policy of propping up US-friendly dictators in the third world.
In other words, all selfish policies.
Ok, but you and I would both say these examples increased suffering, and that they were not good ideas, or nice. Therefor these are not examples of the form i asked for.
So, to clarify: what you are asking for is three examples of a successful policy which
doesn’t increase net happiness, and
doesn’t even out the spread of happiness, and
doesn’t make more options for happiness getting, and
doesn’t increase suffering, and
is a good idea, and
is nice.
If I have misunderstood your criteria, could you explain where?
yep, totes. More specifically, that we would say is successful (in the sense of well done, or not a fail), and also say is 1 − 6.