Introduction to Utilitarianism

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Introduction to Utilitarianism

A concise, accessible, and engaging introduction to modern utilitarianism.

  1. 07/11/2023

    Guest Essay: Moral Psychology and Utilitarianism

    As an abstract ideal, utilitarianism may sound like simple common sense. But utilitarianism has some implications that are counterintuitive. This essay explores how psychological biases can explain anti-utilitarian intuitions. --- Outline: (01:20) Deviations from Impartiality (04:25) Deviations from Maximization (08:03) Deviations from Consequentialism (15:50) Deviations from Aggregate Welfarism (21:12) Normative Implications (28:08) Practical Implications (29:10) About the Authors The original text contained 123 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: September 1st, 2024 Source: https://www.utilitarianism.net/guest-essays/moral-psychology --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

    30 min

  2. 07/11/2023

    Guest Essay: Expected Utility Maximization

    Expected Utility Maximization directs us to weigh the value associated with each possible outcome by its probability, yielding an overall expected value. This essay explains Expected Utility Maximization as a decision theory and defends its most distinctive feature: that it can advise us to choose options that will predictably lose. This essay was adapted (with permission) from two of Joe Carlsmith's essays on expected utility theory—"Skyscrapers and madmen" and "Why it can be OK to predictably lose"—and edited and rewritten for utilitarianism.net by Vikram Balasubramanian. --- Outline: (00:31) On Expected Utility (03:30) Maximal Skyscraper (05:59) Only One Shot (09:37) Why it is OK to predictably lose (10:28) Conditional Probabilities (15:29) Nothing special about getting saved by heads versus tails (18:54) What would everyone prefer? (20:24) Taking Responsibility (24:16) About the Authors The original text contained 7 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: September 1st, 2024 Source: https://www.utilitarianism.net/guest-essays/expected-utility-maximization --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

    25 min

  3. 07/11/2023

    Guest Essay: Welfare Economics and Interpersonal Utility Comparisons

    Many students of economics and philosophy have been puzzled by whether utility is cardinally or only ordinally measurable, and whether interpersonal comparisons of utility are possible in principle and in practice. This essay attempts to answer these questions, using simple arguments. --- Outline: (00:15) Abstract (01:39) Is Utility Ordinal or Cardinal? (06:26) Does Welfare Economics Need Interpersonal Utility Comparison? (09:15) The Commonsense Case for Cardinal Utility and Interpersonal Utility Comparisons (10:51) The Practical Measurement and Interpersonal Comparison of Utilities (17:06) Concluding Remarks (18:08) About the Author The original text contained 6 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. The original text contained 1 image which was described by AI. --- First published: September 1st, 2024 Source: https://www.utilitarianism.net/guest-essays/welfare-economics --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

    19 min

  4. 07/11/2023

    Guest Essay: Utilitarianism and Voting

    This essay discusses the value of voting from a utilitarian perspective. It explores how to estimate the chance of casting a decisive vote, how to think about the stakes of an election, and whether we can reliably identify which candidate is better. --- Outline: (00:29) Introduction (04:27) The Chance of Casting a Decisive Vote (08:42) The Argument (applied to our case) (11:24) Impartiality and Altruism (14:19) Determining the Better Candidate (16:56) About the Author The original text contained 7 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: September 1st, 2024 Source: https://www.utilitarianism.net/guest-essays/utilitarianism-and-voting --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

    17 min

  5. 07/11/2023

    1. Introduction to Utilitarianism

    This chapter introduces utilitarianism, and its major costs and benefits as a moral theory. The original text contained 12 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/introduction-to-utilitarianism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

    11 min

  6. 07/11/2023

    2. Elements and Types of Utilitarianism

    After defining utilitarianism, this chapter offers a detailed analysis of its four key elements (consequentialism, welfarism, impartiality, and aggregationism). It explains the difference between maximizing, satisficing, and scalar utilitarianism, and other important distinctions between utilitarian theories. The original text contained 30 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/types-of-utilitarianism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

    31 min

  7. 07/11/2023

    3. Arguments for Utilitarianism

    This chapter explains reflective equilibrium as a moral methodology, and presents several arguments for utilitarianism over non-consequentialist approaches to ethics. The original text contained 35 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/arguments-for-utilitarianism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

    26 min

  8. 07/11/2023

    4. Theories of Well-Being

    Explores the three major theories of well-being, or what makes a life good for the individual living it: hedonism, desire theory, and objective list theory. The original text contained 38 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/theories-of-wellbeing --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

    26 min
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A concise, accessible, and engaging introduction to modern utilitarianism.

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