Utilitarianism
Definition
Utilitarianism is the theory that the right action is the one that does the most good overall. Classically, that means the most pleasure over pain.
On this site
The Util. column. It scores the Dialed-up setting poorly and the Experience machine highly.
Role in the model
The Util. column adds up the suffering in a scenario, weighted by how much each being can experience it. It scores Dialed up poorly and the Afterlife preset highly, because a painless world of maximum bliss is what hedonic arithmetic recommends. That’s the hedonic version of utilitarianism. The preference and objective-list versions wouldn’t endorse the Afterlife preset.
Related
In the trees
14 short pages, one per thinker, each with its matching dial. See also the reading list.