Yes, the “what then” was rhetorical. If I had to express my point non-rhetorically, it’d be something like this:
If you take a position which gives ethically correct results only until such time as some (reasonably plausible) scenario comes to pass, then maybe your position isn’t ethical in the first place. “This ethical framework gives nonsensical or monstrous results in edge cases [of varying degrees of edge-ness]” is, after all, a common and quite justified criticism of ethical frameworks.
If you take a position which gives ethically correct results only until such time as some (reasonably plausible) scenario comes to pass, then maybe your position isn’t ethical in the first place. “This ethical framework gives nonsensical or monstrous results in edge cases [of varying degrees of edge-ness]” is, after all, a common and quite justified criticism of ethical frameworks.
It is a point against the framework, certainly. But so far nobody has developed an ethical framework that would have no problems at all, so at the moment we can only choose the framework that’s the least bad.
(Assuming that we wish to choose one in the first place, of course—I do think that there is merit in just accepting that they’re all flawed and then not choosing to endorse any single one.)
(Assuming that we wish to choose one in the first place, of course—I do think that there is merit in just accepting that they’re all flawed and then not choosing to endorse any single one.)
Well, that’s been my policy so far, certainly. Some are worse than others, though. “This ethical framework breaks in catastrophic, horrifying fashion, creating an instant dystopia, as soon as we can rewire people’s brains” is pretty darn bad.
Wireheading. The term is not a metaphor, and it’s not a hypothetical. You can literally stick a wire into someone’s pleasure centers and activate them, using only non-groundbreaking neuroscience.
It’s been tested on humans, but AFAIK no-one has ever felt compelled to go any further.
(Yeah, seems like it might be evidence. But then, maybe akrasia...)
Yes, the “what then” was rhetorical. If I had to express my point non-rhetorically, it’d be something like this:
If you take a position which gives ethically correct results only until such time as some (reasonably plausible) scenario comes to pass, then maybe your position isn’t ethical in the first place. “This ethical framework gives nonsensical or monstrous results in edge cases [of varying degrees of edge-ness]” is, after all, a common and quite justified criticism of ethical frameworks.
It is a point against the framework, certainly. But so far nobody has developed an ethical framework that would have no problems at all, so at the moment we can only choose the framework that’s the least bad.
(Assuming that we wish to choose one in the first place, of course—I do think that there is merit in just accepting that they’re all flawed and then not choosing to endorse any single one.)
Well, that’s been my policy so far, certainly. Some are worse than others, though. “This ethical framework breaks in catastrophic, horrifying fashion, creating an instant dystopia, as soon as we can rewire people’s brains” is pretty darn bad.
… can’t we rewire brains right now? We just … don’t.
Well, we must not be hedonistic utilitarians then, right? Because if we were, and we could, we would.
Edit: Also, what the heck are you talking about?
Wireheading. The term is not a metaphor, and it’s not a hypothetical. You can literally stick a wire into someone’s pleasure centers and activate them, using only non-groundbreaking neuroscience.
It’s been tested on humans, but AFAIK no-one has ever felt compelled to go any further.
(Yeah, seems like it might be evidence. But then, maybe akrasia...)
Where and what are these “pleasure centers”, exactly?