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Utilitarian
(redirected from Utilitarians)

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Utilitarian
A person who believes moral actions must provide the greatest good to the greatest number of persons. Utilitarians emphasize the consequences of actions when evaluating their morality. For example, a utilitarian may regard a lie to a regulator as moral if it saves 2,000 jobs. Critics of utilitarianism contend that consequences are unknowable and argue that it could be used to defend atrocities. Utilitarians, on the other hand, argue that their philosophy is the best way to improve happiness in the aggregate.
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Take away the specific contents of Butt's rape argument but keep the form, and, Hocus Pocus, evangelicals transform into utilitarians on the issue of torture
Torture and magic tricks by Cederdahl, Andrew / The Humanist
And that view seems to be Caplan's point in noting that many jihadists, when faced with imminent death, surrender instead of acting on their belief--in other words, they come to their senses and act like reasonable, materialist utilitarians once the cost of indulging in irrationality becomes large enough.
The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies by Callahan, Gene / Independent Review
Utilitarians are constantly challenged to explain why markets should not replace bureaucracies, and often their own logic leaves them unable to do this.
The limits of expertise by Davies, William / Renewal
 
 
 
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