George Orwell’s review of Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler, excerpt:
”
….Also he has grasped the falsity of the hedonistic attitude to life. Nearly all western thought since the last war, certainly all “progressive” thought, has assumed tacitly that human beings desire nothing beyond ease, security and avoidance of pain. In such a view of life there is no room, for instance, for patriotism and the military virtues. The Socialist who finds his children playing with soldiers is usually upset, but he is never able to think of a substitute for the tin soldiers; tin pacifists somehow won’t do. Hitler, because in his own joyless mind he feels it with exceptional strength, knows that human beings don’t only want comfort, safety, short working-hours, hygiene, birth-control and, in general, common sense; they also, at least intermittently, want struggle and self-sacrifice, not to mention drums, flags and loyalty-parades. However they may be as economic theories, Fascism and Nazism are psychologically far sounder than any hedonistic conception of life. The same is probably true of Stalin’s militarised version of Socialism. All three of the great dictators have enhanced their power by imposing intolerable burdens on their peoples. Whereas Socialism, and even capitalism in a more grudging way, have said to people “I offer you a good time,” Hitler has said to them “I offer you struggle, danger and death,” and as a result a whole nation flings itself at his feet. Perhaps later on they will get sick of it and change their minds, as at the end of the last war. After a few years of slaughter and starvation “Greatest happiness of the greatest number” is a good slogan, but at this moment “Better an end with horror than a horror without end” is a winner. Now that we are fighting against the man who coined it, we ought not to underrate its emotional appeal.
“
Orwell suggests that minimizing suffering is not a good axiom for maximizing utility, or even for human happiness, along with quite a few other implications. Thoughts?
Humans seem to need some meaning in their lives. Some of us are able to find or define that meaning for ourselves. (For example, you may decide to spend your life studying some science, or getting good at certain art, or you may notice some problem and decide to fix it.) However it seems that many people lack this skill—they either get some meaning from outside (usually some form of “follow the herd”) or they do some form of consumption and being angry at world in general and people around them specifically.
People who are good at finding meaning, often imagine a perfect society like: “remove the big problems, and allow people to find their meaning and follow it”. Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness!
The problem is, many people suck at the “pursuit of Happiness” part. Some of them would gladly trade their Liberty, sometimes even their Life, in return for someone giving them a simple recipe for Happiness. Unfortunately, people like Hitler or Stalin, who offer them such trade, are usually unwilling to leave other people alone, so as a result everyone loses their Liberty and many people lose their Life.
Is there a solution that would satisfy everyone—provide some benevolent “herd regime” for the people who need it, and leave along those who don’t? I am not sure how to design it. Because, on one hand I am afraid that people suck at guessing what would be best for them; on the other hand, deciding for other people because “I know what is best for them better than they do” sounds like an obvious villain speech.
Like, imagine that everyone is by default brought up to be a member of a herd, but people can freely opt out, and those who do are left alone. But, imagine that some of those people who opted out become popular, and suddenly many people will opt out of the herd just because it is fashionable to do… and now we have the same problem again.
To a small degree, this is already achieved by unproductive activities such as sport. But for most people, sport does not provide a meaning for life. Also, people can opt out of sport, without having any alternative way of spending time.
Individualism is the official ideology of the West. But the fact is, most people do not want to be individuals. They may try it, because it is cool and sometimes convenient, but then they get disappointed and organize some revolt against individualism. For starters, perhaps we should not push them so far. Maybe we should make individualism possible but uncool, so that only people who really desire it will choose it?
It’s an interesting point you raise, that balancing the varying preferences to mutual satisfaction may not even be possible. There possibly is no solution for a single society in isolation. Though in a world with multiple competing societies, and some amount of movement between them, at the whole society level, there will be competitive pressure to maximize human potential. Perhaps through this dynamic the techniques that are most effective will, eventually, rise to the top. Though considering societies of hundreds of millions of people this process will likely take many centuries.
Additionally, the possibilities of inheritance of epigenetic and genetic factors that induce docility or rebelliousness, etc., could possibly speed up or retard this process, depending on how such knowledge is applied.
Useful for whom? All and with equal weight, I guess.
Useful in industrial production and material consumption sense? Or in physical health and mental wellbeing and happiness sense? I mix of both, I guess. The relative weighing probably is what makes the difference.
thankfully the dictionary further elaborates, in addition to the everyday usage, for utility:
c.Philosophy. The ability, capacity, or power of a person, action, or thing to satisfy the needs or gratify the desires of the majority, or of the human race as a whole.
d. The intrinsic property of anything that leads an individual to choose it rather than something else; in game theory, that which a player seeks to maximize in any situation where there is a choice; the value of this, as (actually or notionally) estimated numerically.
Which in the context of Orwell’s quote would likely mean useful for the majority of German citizens circa 1933-1939 in all senses that pertain to satisfying their needs, i.e. all aspects of an industrial society that could further improve its ability, capacity, and power
The German population overall was indeed well organized, cooperating well, well cared for, well trained, and united in shared purpose. The symbol of the fascists—a fasces—is a bundle for a reason. The problem is not that. The things that worked well still motivate some mostly smaller and covert but also larger organizations in Germany and why it has no difficulties to appeal to youth looking for a shared purpose. Maybe something beneficial could be learned from it, but how to untangle this from the connotations in practice? It seems better to reinvent from scratch the good parts in contexts and systems that have suitable checks and balances. Like Germany has right now.
George Orwell’s review of Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler, excerpt:
”
….Also he has grasped the falsity of the hedonistic attitude to life. Nearly all western thought since the last war, certainly all “progressive” thought, has assumed tacitly that human beings desire nothing beyond ease, security and avoidance of pain. In such a view of life there is no room, for instance, for patriotism and the military virtues. The Socialist who finds his children playing with soldiers is usually upset, but he is never able to think of a substitute for the tin soldiers; tin pacifists somehow won’t do. Hitler, because in his own joyless mind he feels it with exceptional strength, knows that human beings don’t only want comfort, safety, short working-hours, hygiene, birth-control and, in general, common sense; they also, at least intermittently, want struggle and self-sacrifice, not to mention drums, flags and loyalty-parades. However they may be as economic theories, Fascism and Nazism are psychologically far sounder than any hedonistic conception of life. The same is probably true of Stalin’s militarised version of Socialism. All three of the great dictators have enhanced their power by imposing intolerable burdens on their peoples. Whereas Socialism, and even capitalism in a more grudging way, have said to people “I offer you a good time,” Hitler has said to them “I offer you struggle, danger and death,” and as a result a whole nation flings itself at his feet. Perhaps later on they will get sick of it and change their minds, as at the end of the last war. After a few years of slaughter and starvation “Greatest happiness of the greatest number” is a good slogan, but at this moment “Better an end with horror than a horror without end” is a winner. Now that we are fighting against the man who coined it, we ought not to underrate its emotional appeal.
“
Orwell suggests that minimizing suffering is not a good axiom for maximizing utility, or even for human happiness, along with quite a few other implications. Thoughts?
Humans seem to need some meaning in their lives. Some of us are able to find or define that meaning for ourselves. (For example, you may decide to spend your life studying some science, or getting good at certain art, or you may notice some problem and decide to fix it.) However it seems that many people lack this skill—they either get some meaning from outside (usually some form of “follow the herd”) or they do some form of consumption and being angry at world in general and people around them specifically.
People who are good at finding meaning, often imagine a perfect society like: “remove the big problems, and allow people to find their meaning and follow it”. Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness!
The problem is, many people suck at the “pursuit of Happiness” part. Some of them would gladly trade their Liberty, sometimes even their Life, in return for someone giving them a simple recipe for Happiness. Unfortunately, people like Hitler or Stalin, who offer them such trade, are usually unwilling to leave other people alone, so as a result everyone loses their Liberty and many people lose their Life.
Is there a solution that would satisfy everyone—provide some benevolent “herd regime” for the people who need it, and leave along those who don’t? I am not sure how to design it. Because, on one hand I am afraid that people suck at guessing what would be best for them; on the other hand, deciding for other people because “I know what is best for them better than they do” sounds like an obvious villain speech.
Like, imagine that everyone is by default brought up to be a member of a herd, but people can freely opt out, and those who do are left alone. But, imagine that some of those people who opted out become popular, and suddenly many people will opt out of the herd just because it is fashionable to do… and now we have the same problem again.
To a small degree, this is already achieved by unproductive activities such as sport. But for most people, sport does not provide a meaning for life. Also, people can opt out of sport, without having any alternative way of spending time.
Individualism is the official ideology of the West. But the fact is, most people do not want to be individuals. They may try it, because it is cool and sometimes convenient, but then they get disappointed and organize some revolt against individualism. For starters, perhaps we should not push them so far. Maybe we should make individualism possible but uncool, so that only people who really desire it will choose it?
It’s an interesting point you raise, that balancing the varying preferences to mutual satisfaction may not even be possible. There possibly is no solution for a single society in isolation. Though in a world with multiple competing societies, and some amount of movement between them, at the whole society level, there will be competitive pressure to maximize human potential. Perhaps through this dynamic the techniques that are most effective will, eventually, rise to the top. Though considering societies of hundreds of millions of people this process will likely take many centuries.
Additionally, the possibilities of inheritance of epigenetic and genetic factors that induce docility or rebelliousness, etc., could possibly speed up or retard this process, depending on how such knowledge is applied.
Depends on what you mean with utility here, or suffering,
I go by the OED standard definitions.
OK.
Useful for whom? All and with equal weight, I guess.
Useful in industrial production and material consumption sense? Or in physical health and mental wellbeing and happiness sense? I mix of both, I guess. The relative weighing probably is what makes the difference.
thankfully the dictionary further elaborates, in addition to the everyday usage, for utility:
c. Philosophy. The ability, capacity, or power of a person, action, or thing to satisfy the needs or gratify the desires of the majority, or of the human race as a whole.
d. The intrinsic property of anything that leads an individual to choose it rather than something else; in game theory, that which a player seeks to maximize in any situation where there is a choice; the value of this, as (actually or notionally) estimated numerically.
Which in the context of Orwell’s quote would likely mean useful for the majority of German citizens circa 1933-1939 in all senses that pertain to satisfying their needs, i.e. all aspects of an industrial society that could further improve its ability, capacity, and power
The German population overall was indeed well organized, cooperating well, well cared for, well trained, and united in shared purpose. The symbol of the fascists—a fasces—is a bundle for a reason. The problem is not that. The things that worked well still motivate some mostly smaller and covert but also larger organizations in Germany and why it has no difficulties to appeal to youth looking for a shared purpose. Maybe something beneficial could be learned from it, but how to untangle this from the connotations in practice? It seems better to reinvent from scratch the good parts in contexts and systems that have suitable checks and balances. Like Germany has right now.