When thinking about Utilitarianism, the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people, I always caveat by saying “with mitigation”. We already know the common attack on Utilitarianism is the majority crushes those not in the majority. This is a problem that comes from any group that’s larger than any other group. Unless we want absolute atomization, in an absolute sense, this will always be an issue that has to be addressed. It’s not particular to Utilitarianism.

It occurred to me that the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people is too pragmatic for an idealistic goal. You’re starting with a side step off the ideal, and you’re working to achieve something that is in the end goal you are settling for. It starts with a myself vs. the other separation. It misses the point at the top level, Universality. It seems to me that the optimum ideal for a utility that applies to agents that are all practically identical, physically, would be “Everything for everybody.” Of course it’s not practical. It’s an ideal, it’s not mandatory that it is practical. Accepting it should produce human flourishing and prevent human suffering and death.

But where do we limit effectively then? If the goal is universality, we don’t reduce the everybody category, right? “Everything for some people.” is actually what some people are trying to do. What we should do is, “Something for everybody.” until we can get to, “Everything for everybody.” to preserve universality.

If we agree to something as the pragmatic limitation, how do we prioritize that “something”. Well, basic utility would have us prioritize aversion to death first, really, then promotion of human flourishing. So then we rally the something around human necessity. So the minimum utility would be something like, “Necessity for everybody.” This is the minimum universal rule. Below this, it’s an anti-human, “Necessity for some people.”, state of war.

Utility is important, as well as universality and human necessity. This is the foundation for truth, justice, universal morality. We can’t allow relativism, or opportunism in the form of narrative to subvert universal goodness any longer. -Thomas Albany