Comments on Crash Landing: More Tyler Bashing

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2008-12-23T19:53:00.000-05:00

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Thanks, David. Well, I didn't realize Cowen belon...

2008-02-17T19:14:00.000-05:00

Thanks, David. Well, I didn't realize Cowen belongs to a long list of smart guys who know something is wrong with utilitarianism but can't bring themselves to reject the approach. (David sent me Harsanyi's essay in which he specifically says that only impartial preferences should be in a social welfare function.) This is basically saying, "We derive moral judgments from preferences, but only if those preferences are moral." Sweet.

The idea of not counting certain preferences didn'...

2008-02-17T15:04:00.000-05:00

The idea of not counting certain preferences didn't originate with Tyler Cowen. Although I agree it's problematic to do so, it's a fairly common move. Harsanyi and Dworkin both do it.

Cowen is a pathetic panderer to whatever he senses...

2008-02-17T15:01:00.000-05:00

Cowen is a pathetic panderer to whatever he senses is the popular opinion of the moment. What's shocking to me is that anyone pays him any heed.

Thinking about this some more, there is more to it...

2008-02-17T00:05:00.000-05:00

Thinking about this some more, there is more to it than just people paying respect to the dead.

For example, consider these activities such as funerals, final rites, and praying for the dead.

All of these activities are not designed to increase your utility but actually to increase the utility of the departed and make sure they make it wherever they are going. So, literally speaking, people do consider spirits of the departed as part of a social welfare function. They actually spend time of their day praying or performing some rite or ritual so that their utility will improve in the afterlife.

I couldn't find your post, but I think I agree wit...

2008-02-16T14:37:00.000-05:00

I couldn't find your post, but I think I agree with your point. It's first of all highly debatable (and in my view incorrect) to understand this situation by use of a social welfare functions. Is it wrong to dishonor your father if you know he won't be around to see it? Maybe Tyler thinks there is no such a thing as honoring someone because of an intrinsic obligation? Defining dead people out of ethical consideration because of an abstract/mathematical notion of a social welfare function is a subtle legerdemain. The point, as most people with their heads not up their asses can tell you, is that there is clearly an obligation to consider, if not always honor, your parents (or friend's) last wishes for its own sake.

This question is best answered by Nabakov's family. My own take is that it is very conceivable that Nabokov would not have minded this being published in due time, at least if it is judged to be very good and publishable. He did write in his Lectures on Literature that "Fortunately Brod did not comply with his friend's [Kafka's] wish."

I had some further thoughts. What about battlefie...

2008-02-16T13:42:00.000-05:00

I had some further thoughts. What about battlefield memorials and old cemeteries? According to Cowen, we should act like a bunch of ghouls by destroying all of these and digging up the bodies.

Another way more random thought, how does Cowen know that their utility functions are gone! Perhaps, they're in heaven or spirits may be still sentient with utility functions after death?

Perhaps, I'll tell my priest to preach tomorrow about your utility function continuing after death.