Squark09 OP t1_iwib9fu wrote on November 15, 2022 at 9:06 PM

Reply to comment by rejectednocomments in Utilitarianism is the only option — but you have to take conscious experience seriously first by Squark09

Utilitarianism is the only option if you believe in the reality of consciousness, that it is valenced and reject closed individualism

rejectednocomments t1_iwibqx8 wrote on November 15, 2022 at 9:09 PM

What do you mean by consciousness being valenced, and what do you mean by closed individualism?

Squark09 OP t1_iwidy43 wrote on November 15, 2022 at 9:24 PM

Valenced means it can be intrinsically good or bad, suffering is intrinsically bad, joy is intrinsically good.

Closed individualism (nice description from https://qri.org/glossary ): "In its most basic form, this is the common-sense personal identity view that you start existing when you are born and stop existing when you die. According to this view each person is a different subject of experience with an independent existence. One can believe in a soul ontology and be a Closed Individualist at the same time, with the correction that you exist as long as your soul exists, which could be the case even before or after death."

Nickesponja t1_iwj1pit wrote on November 16, 2022 at 12:09 AM

It seems like the majority of people would accept closed individualism and would therefore have no use for this argument.

rejectednocomments t1_iwie93a wrote on November 15, 2022 at 9:26 PM

I don’t see how utilitarianism necessarily follows from that.

Truenoiz t1_iwqzned wrote on November 17, 2022 at 6:20 PM

Deontology with non-malfeasance as a primary virtue is a stronger option- you don't even need to assume several precepts to make it so.