“ There’s just no utilitarian excuse to force people to do things when you could instead incentivize them ”
So when is it that we can’t incentivize them? Maybe when we're too poor? Or they don’t agree with our brilliant ideas? In dire emergencies? When we absolutely have to share something?
I should admit that I actually agree with this sentiment. It isn’t very popular though, is it?
I'm assuming the total view here, for sake of argument. The point remains that incentives are so much better than force in every way.
(It's also worth noting that before "advocating" for forced control of others' bodies on utilitarian grounds, you need to consider the likely consequences of doing so, which would include making a lot of very determined enemies. Given the potential for good utilitarian reasoning to do *so much more* good than this in co-operation with others, I think the reputational costs of turning into a cartoon villain pretty obviously outweigh whatever good you imagine the villain achieving. Realistically, the effects of dastardly advocacy is just to make everyone hate you, and not to achieve anything at all.)
Great post and just clearly true
“ There’s just no utilitarian excuse to force people to do things when you could instead incentivize them ”
So when is it that we can’t incentivize them? Maybe when we're too poor? Or they don’t agree with our brilliant ideas? In dire emergencies? When we absolutely have to share something?
I should admit that I actually agree with this sentiment. It isn’t very popular though, is it?
See #7.
I'm assuming the total view here, for sake of argument. The point remains that incentives are so much better than force in every way.
(It's also worth noting that before "advocating" for forced control of others' bodies on utilitarian grounds, you need to consider the likely consequences of doing so, which would include making a lot of very determined enemies. Given the potential for good utilitarian reasoning to do *so much more* good than this in co-operation with others, I think the reputational costs of turning into a cartoon villain pretty obviously outweigh whatever good you imagine the villain achieving. Realistically, the effects of dastardly advocacy is just to make everyone hate you, and not to achieve anything at all.)