Good point, i may have overstated the issue that utilitarianism runs into with this problem. They're definitely not stuck, they can achieve a trade off or even a 3rd option that satisfied both outcomes. But i think the more salient issue with it in this case is that utilitarianism is not structured to allow optimal problem solving of these issues. It simplifies cause and effect both into the same metric of utility, which obfuscates the conflict, whereas this system places the conflict between the contrasting desires front and center.
From a utilitarian standpoint this specific problem is a matter of +X utility short term vs +Y utility long term, and once you solve for X and Y you chose the larger number. But that may not be the optimal solution if you can instead eat a non-fat candy bar and solve both problems at once. Both systems can achieve the same outcome, but in utilitarianism it's harder to see the path.
I have a lot of fun analyzing ethical frameworks, and for the longest time I was a utilitarian because it was the framework that made the most sense to me. But there are obvious problems with it that have been debated on for quite a while, and I wanted to write up my solution for it.
I believe that this theory of morality is a strict superset of utilitarianism. It is not able to solve all of utilitarianism's flaws, but it should be able to solve some while also not losing any benefits.
Most likely plenty of other people have already invented this exact theory in the past, but I can’t find anything about... (read 1048 more words →)
Hello! I'm dipping my toes into this forum, coming primarily from the Scott Alexander side of rationalism. Wanted to introduce myself, and share that i'm working on a post about ethics/ethical frameworks i hope to share here eventually!
Thank you! I knew there had to have been similar ideas like this previously discussed, glad to see this! It even agrees with my conclusion on how it solves wireheading, and brings up a problem called "desire fulfillment act utilitarianism" that is a problem utilitarianism has that carries over to this.