(rought draft)
- Introduction.
For the purposes of this paper, I will define Utilitarianism (or Welfarism) as the claim that nothing except well-being has intrinsic value in order to distinguish it from other forms of Consequentialism. In this paper, I will defend the Utilitarian claim that there is nothing which can make one population (which I will equate with a system or state of affairs) have more intrinsic value than some other population which has an equal amount of well-being, pace Egalitarianism. In order to argue for this conclusion, I will argue that the rightness of equality can be demonstrated under Utilitarianism whereas under Egalitarianism it is simply assumed. A second argument could but will not be put forward along lines of parsimony: some moral theory, A, is better than any other moral theory, B, if A is able to explain the same data will fewer theoretical posits. (more…)
