This post goes wrong in assuming maximizing utility means maximizing happiness. A terminal value isn’t something that causes you happiness directly; it’s something you value whether or not it causes you happiness.
The post suggests that utility-maximizing giving also brings happiness, not that it’s the best way to obtain happiness. And indeed it could be a good way of obtaining happiness, like holding true beliefs is a good way of acting efficiently, even though there could be incorrect beliefs that result in even more optimal actions.
I don’t think it’s ambiguous: the post suggests rationality means maximizing utility, utility is happiness, therefore rationality means maximizing happiness.
The question then arises: is the amount of focus that Americans place on acquiring material resources (instrumentally) irrational? Three possibilities occur to me:
(A) The very activity of acquiring material resources is a terminal value for most people. People would be less happy if they focused less on acquiring material resources, not because they find having the material resources fulfilling but because they find the practice of acquiring the material resources fulfilling.
This post goes wrong in assuming maximizing utility means maximizing happiness. A terminal value isn’t something that causes you happiness directly; it’s something you value whether or not it causes you happiness.
The post suggests that utility-maximizing giving also brings happiness, not that it’s the best way to obtain happiness. And indeed it could be a good way of obtaining happiness, like holding true beliefs is a good way of acting efficiently, even though there could be incorrect beliefs that result in even more optimal actions.
I don’t think it’s ambiguous: the post suggests rationality means maximizing utility, utility is happiness, therefore rationality means maximizing happiness.
Yes. Happiness is an instrumental value, though a very useful one.