Arguments for utilitarianism

Richard Yetter Chappell and Darius Meissner

In Richard Yetter Chappell, Darius Meissner, and William MacAskill, An Introduction to Utilitarianism, Oxford, 2023

Abstract

This chapter explains reflective equilibrium as a moral methodology, and presents several arguments for utilitarianism over non-consequentialist approaches to ethics.

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Quotes from this work

In practice, the psychological phenomenon of loss aversion means that someone may feel more upset by what they perceive as a “loss” rather than a mere “failure to benefit”. Such negative feelings may further reduce their well-being, turning the judgment that “loss is worse” into something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.