I think that’s a fallacy; humans aren’t good at adding up large numbers of small utilities. But by your logic e.g. the “salami-slice fraud” (stealing 0.1 cent from everyone on the planet) would be ethical—it increases your own happiness, and has no effect on everyone else.
If it really had absolutely no effect, then I guess our moral duty would be to steal that money and give it to efficient charity.
Just because humans are not good at observing something, that does not mean it doesn’t exist. Sure, in real life, the effects of losing 0.1 cent are invisible to humans, and probably the observation itself would be more costly than the 0.1 cent. But do it repeatedly, and the effects start being observable. Also, there is a problem of transaction costs.
I think that’s a fallacy; humans aren’t good at adding up large numbers of small utilities. But by your logic e.g. the “salami-slice fraud” (stealing 0.1 cent from everyone on the planet) would be ethical—it increases your own happiness, and has no effect on everyone else.
If it really had absolutely no effect, then I guess our moral duty would be to steal that money and give it to efficient charity.
Just because humans are not good at observing something, that does not mean it doesn’t exist. Sure, in real life, the effects of losing 0.1 cent are invisible to humans, and probably the observation itself would be more costly than the 0.1 cent. But do it repeatedly, and the effects start being observable. Also, there is a problem of transaction costs.