miksirhc:On the contrary, my only value judgment is that maximizing utility, i.e., prosperity for the people, should be the goal of any society
But you can't measure it and you can't add it, so you have no way of knowing whether any particular act is increasing it or decreasing it - how can you maximize it?
miksirhc:Mass slavery under the guide of wise central planners cannot be the best method to reach maximum utility.
How do you know?
μὴ παραχώρει τοῖς κακοῖς ἀλλ' εὐτολμώτερον ἀντιβάδιζε.
miksirhc:The end, ultimately, must be prosperity for the people. Any other end is sadistic. The means may be natural rights; but in certain cases the enforcement of the non-agression axiom is not necessarily the best thing for the people. So where does that leave you?
So, if allowing every male to rape Angelina Jolie maximizes social utility, we are supposed to tramp natural rights? If simply killing everyone that steals makes a better society, we are supposed to agree with it? If enslaving 1/3rd of the population makes the majority happy, then you are for it? The list goes on and on.
Equality before the law and material equality are not only different but are in conflict with each other; and we can achieve either one or the other, but not both at the same time. -- F. A. Hayek in The Constitution of Liberty
Hence the problem of utilitarianism.
miksirhc: Prosperity for the people (utility maximization) must be the goal of a societal arrangement.
Prosperity and utility maximization for that mythical entity referred to by "the people" must never be the goal of public policy. It is the root of all evil in the context of societal organization. It's sadistic, and inherently violent and murderous. Anyone advocating such a goal is declaring himself a threat to all human beings. Anyone who claims it doesn't require violence is delusional and psychotic, and thus doubly dangerous.
Utility maximization for "the people" would demand the immediate extermination of such people, so it's probably a good thing I don't believe in it.
The state won't go away once enough people want the state to go away, the state will effectively disappear once enough people no longer care that much whether it stays or goes. We don't need a revolution, we need millions of them.
Ego:You make an odd value judgement: maximum utility is more important than allowing individuals to control their own lives.
The flaw is in thinking they are in opposition. If you were to perfectly follow the goal of maximization of utility, the means you would choose would be complete freedom from aggressive violence, the NAP. But you can't perfectly pursue it, because you can't measure it. The choices are: don't pursue it because doing so is nonsensical, or pursuing it using the requisite violence needed to distort reality enough to allow the pretense of such a pursuit.
Ludwig von Mises Institute | 518 West Magnolia Avenue | Auburn, Alabama 36832-4528
Phone: 334.321.2100 · Fax: 334.321.2119
contact@Mises.org | webmaster | AOL-IM MainMises
Mises.org sitemap