When people take heroin, they do so in order to feel good.
From what I’ve read, some people take heroin in order to feel good; some people take heroin in order to feel nothing … and some people take heroin because, for them, not taking heroin is too disgustingly horrible to consider as an approach to life.
Saying “they do so in order to feel good” or “to obtain pleasure” is presuming something about the experience of heroin users that may not actually be true. It also takes “pleasure” as basic or elementary, which it almost certainly is not.
Consider: We would not usually say that headache sufferers take aspirin in order to obtain pleasure; or that heartburn sufferers take antacids in order to obtain pleasure. We’d say they take these drugs to obtain relief from pain. Similarly, we’d say that insomnia sufferers take zolpidem or other soporifics to obtain relief from sleeplessness; that anxiety sufferers take anxiolytics for relief from anxiety; and so on.
Similarly, we wouldn’t say that someone with OCD repeatedly washes their hands in order to obtain pleasure ….
From what I’ve read, some people take heroin in order to feel good; some people take heroin in order to feel nothing … and some people take heroin because, for them, not taking heroin is too disgustingly horrible to consider as an approach to life.
Well let’s assume for the sake of argument that’s all true. Then I will rephrase my question as follows:
When people take heroin, they do so in order to feel X. e.g. to obtain pleasure, or to ease their withdrawal symptoms from the last time they shot up, to feel nothing, or whatever.
They value (immediate) X and they are obtaining X in a direct way. How are they simplifying any utility function?
From what I’ve read, some people take heroin in order to feel good; some people take heroin in order to feel nothing … and some people take heroin because, for them, not taking heroin is too disgustingly horrible to consider as an approach to life.
Saying “they do so in order to feel good” or “to obtain pleasure” is presuming something about the experience of heroin users that may not actually be true. It also takes “pleasure” as basic or elementary, which it almost certainly is not.
Consider: We would not usually say that headache sufferers take aspirin in order to obtain pleasure; or that heartburn sufferers take antacids in order to obtain pleasure. We’d say they take these drugs to obtain relief from pain. Similarly, we’d say that insomnia sufferers take zolpidem or other soporifics to obtain relief from sleeplessness; that anxiety sufferers take anxiolytics for relief from anxiety; and so on.
Similarly, we wouldn’t say that someone with OCD repeatedly washes their hands in order to obtain pleasure ….
Well let’s assume for the sake of argument that’s all true. Then I will rephrase my question as follows:
When people take heroin, they do so in order to feel X. e.g. to obtain pleasure, or to ease their withdrawal symptoms from the last time they shot up, to feel nothing, or whatever.
They value (immediate) X and they are obtaining X in a direct way. How are they simplifying any utility function?