Intuitionist Theory and Interpersonal Comparisons
Intuitionist Theory and Interpersonal Comparisons
This chapter explores situations, real and imagined, in which utilitarianism seems to produce just results and egalitarianism produces unjust results. It considers intuitions about the justice of certain results and argues that these intuitions support utilitarianism. It presents examples involving interpersonal comparisons of welfare and suggests that moral intuition can be confounded if the examples used to test it contain interpersonal comparisons that are merely stipulated and not based convincingly on the facts of the example. The chapter also offers interpersonal comparisons in intuitionist theory and examines Robert Nozick's “utility monster” example which evokes utilitarian intuitions and turns them, deceptively, against utilitarianism.
Keywords: utilitarianism, egalitarianism, intuitions, justice, interpersonal comparisons, welfare, moral intuition, intuitionist theory, Robert Nozick, utility monster
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