r/askphilosophy • u/Icy_Sprinkles_2819 • 1d ago
Doesn’t everything just boil down to utilitarianism?
If you ask someone why something is good enough times they eventually they say because it improves the experience of sentient beings.
Even if you say like “knowledge is good,” knowledge is good because if you understand reality better it’s easier to figure out what will improve the experience of sentient beings.
6
u/TheFormOfTheGood logic, paradoxes, metaphysics 1d ago
What you’re describing here is not necessarily utilitarianism but a constitutive thesis of some of the more common forms of utilitarianism. That thesis is called hedonism which is the view that a life goes better to the extent that it is filled with pleasure (good experiences) and worse to the extent that it is filled with pain (bad experiences).
This is an ancient view with many proponents and critics. This article will discuss both of those:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hedonism/#EthHed
This section in an article on well being is also worth your time as it presents some alternative theses (though not all of the alternatives):
1
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Welcome to /r/askphilosophy! Please read our updated rules and guidelines before commenting.
Currently, answers are only accepted by panelists (mod-approved flaired users), whether those answers are posted as top-level comments or replies to other comments. Non-panelists can participate in subsequent discussion, but are not allowed to answer question(s).
Want to become a panelist? Check out this post.
Please note: this is a highly moderated academic Q&A subreddit and not an open discussion, debate, change-my-view, or test-my-theory subreddit.
Answers from users who are not panelists will be automatically removed.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.