Journal Article10.1007/BF00177666
Utilitarianism and interpersonal comparison: Some implications of a materialist solution to the world knot
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TL;DR: In this article, a non-materialist solution to the theory of mind is proposed to the existence of a soul, which is based on the non-significance of the self (no substantial reason to care much more about the welfare of one's own future self than welfare of others), possibility of interpersonal comparison of welfare, compellingness of utilitarianism, and possibility of conscious machines.
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Abstract: Beliefs in the impossibility of interpersonal comparison of welfare and the unacceptability of utilitarianism are based on a non-materialist solution to the theory of mind, i.e. on the existence of a soul. The compellingness of the theory of evolution and some discoveries in brain sciences render (philosophical) materialism very persuasive. The acceptance of materialism implies the negation of free will, non-significance of the self (no substantial reason to care much more about the welfare of one's own future self than the welfare of others), possibility of interpersonal comparison of welfare, compellingness of utilitarianism, and the possibility of conscious machines. Searle's argument on the impossibility of rigorous social sciences is however rejected.
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Citations
A Case for Happiness, Cardinalism, and Interpersonal Comparability
TL;DR: Despite economists' preference for the more objective concepts like preference, more emphasis should be given to the more subjective concepts like happiness, as happiness is our ultimate objective and as more money does not buy more happiness much, despite the rate race for material growth due to relative-income effects as mentioned in this paper.
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A Case For Happiness, Cardinalism, and Interpersonal Comparability
TL;DR: Despite economists' preference for the more objective concepts like preference, more emphasis should be given to the more subjective concepts like happiness, as happiness is our ultimate objective and as more money does not buy more happiness much, despite the rat race for material growth due to relative-income effects as mentioned in this paper.
19
Sexual orientation and the ‘cohabitation gap’ in life satisfaction in Canada
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how sexual orientation relates to the cohabitation gap for the first time, and found that the relationship between sexual orientation and the life satisfaction gap between married spouses and those who cohabit without being married.
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Neurobiological measurements of cardinal utility: Hedonimeters or learning algorithms?
TL;DR: The current evidence does not corroborate the cardinal measurability and comparability of utility, and electrical stimulation of brain parts, or asymmetries in brain hemispherical activation, cannot be used to build a hedonimeter.
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A case for cardinal utility and non-arbitrary choice of commodity units
Yew-Kwang Ng,Jianguo Wang +1 more
TL;DR: For any necessity good, there exists an intermediate consumption level at which a change in preference intensity has no effect on utility, below/above which an increase in preference preference intensity decreases/increases utility as mentioned in this paper.
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TL;DR: Only a machine could think, and only very special kinds of machines, namely brains and machines with internal causal powers equivalent to those of brains, and no program by itself is sufficient for thinking.
Reasons and Persons
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