What do you think about these proposals as axioms for ethics:
1. We make decisions in the now, adding new lifes will only affect utility indirectly, and does not add cumulatively.
2. More equality is better.
3. We should not lower the quality of life for someone who is close to equality.
4. We should increase total utility, unless it lowers equality.
Can you name a situation, where we can increase total utility, by lowering equality? I.e. where it would be intuitively good to lower equality? To take from the many, and give to the few?
> To take from the many, and give to the few?
Not sure about htat one, it's easier to say something if we turn it around like this:
"Is it always good to take from the few to give to the many"? That should be good according to your axiom 2, "more equality is better". But it's not always good.
Suppose I put some effort into making a thing of my own, something that is good to have. Should that always be taken away from me, and distributed to the many?
@micke I think you will need to define "near equality" then, it makes a big difference whay you mean there.
A toy example: assume we have total equality to begin with. Everyone has the exact same situation. Then one day I make a thing that gives me an advantage. If it's only a small advantage I get to keep it, but if it's a bigger advantage then maybe not. But how big, where to draw that line?
Is that the right question to ask, or should it be more about to what extent I am exploiting others?
@eliasr If it is one thing, i.e. it is not divisible, I would argue that taking it away does not accomplish anything, since you can only give it to another person leaving the same situation. In that situation it does not matter how big the thing is. If on the other hand, it is many things, i.e. it is divisible (the parts adds utility to each of the owners) then it would be justifiable to divide it up and distribute it I think.
@eliasr BUT, given the premis, i.e. total equality, you creating something means that it would be possible for anyone else to create the same thing from their resources meaning it would be hard indeed to create inequality from equality if you do not take something away from someone else.
@eliasr no, not allways, not if you are under or near equality.