Criticism of Utilitarianism - link

https://www.utilitarian.org/criticisms.html
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/jcanders/ethics/outline_of_some_classic_criticis.htm

Problem: Consider the following two cases:

1. Elderly Aunt Molly is ill. Nephew Tom visits her and helps her because he loves her. Nephew Bob visits her and helps her because he hopes to be rewarded in her will. Nephew Dave visits her and helps her not because he desires to help but because he believes it is his duty. (Modified Version of case by Bowie and Beauchamp, Ethical Theory in Business (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1979) 16-17.

2. A two-year-old is drowning. Ruth flings caution aside because she desires to save the child and jumps in, but she cannot swim. Thus, she fails to save the child. Sue can swim, but is afraid that the child will pull her under. She does not save the child.

The consequences were the same in each case, but the motives of the agents were different. According to utilitarianism, each person's action was of the same value. Shouldn't other features such as an act being motivated by obedience to a law of the state, a religious obligation of loving the neighbor, or a natural love of and concern for others count?

B. Response:

(1) "...the motive has nothing to do with the morality of the action, though much with the worth of the agent (Mill, "Utilitarianism," Chapter 2 in Solomon and Martin, 322)." Consideration of motives is relevant to judging the worth of persons, but not actions. Utilitarians are "aware that a right action does not necessarily indicate a virtuous character, and that actions which are blameable often proceed from qualities entitled to praise (Mill in Solomon and Martin, 333)." "...in the long run the best proof of a good character is good actions; (Mill in Solomon and Martin, 333)."

(2) Often when motives are used as a standard, what is really involved are emotional reactions of approval of disapproval that vary from person to person or obedience to different understandings of what God or conscience requires. Thus, the same action, when motives are considered, might be judged to be right and wrong at the same place and time as with helping Aunt Molly.

(3) Another problem exists when we transfer our approval of consequences to motives. The same motive in another case, however, might lead to negative consequences as in the example below.

(4) A counter example to the case of Aunt Molly is when the motive is the same, but the consequences differ. Bentham invites us to consider the motive of self-preservation. It leads to bad consequences, if it leads you to kill the only witness to your crime. Good consequences, if it leads you to fight heroically in defense of your country in a noble cause, etc. 

Non repair is immoral. The motivation to not repair because of fear has to do more with the worth of the agent than how immoral it is to not repair.

Killing someone is immoral. killing someone because of money has to do with the with the person worth not the action
Using the motivation as standard confuse us in determining what is the right or wrong action a. it clouds our judgement because we find that people's emotional approval or disapproval varies depending of their circumstances.

Dear Councillors of Leicester, Please Say NO to a new Road at the Full Council Debate on the 4th October

Dear Councillors of Leicester,

I am contacting you as one of your constituents to ask you to speak in favour of the removal of the Evesham Road/Aylestone Road link road from the Leicester Local Plan at the council debate to be held on 4th October 2018.

I go to Eversham Road every Tuesday for my violin lesson on Heyworth Road from Braunstone Frith. From there, I go to a community of repairers: The Leicester Hackspace in the Faircharm Industrial Estate to work on various projects to help people in Leicester to engage further with trying to repair items in their home. Over the summer, I went to the pebble pool on Aylestone Meadows with my nephews and greatly enjoyed it.

Recently, I was made aware that there is a plan to make a link between Evesham Road and Aylestone Road.  I was disappointed to hear so. The road will erase some of the historical and social fabric of the space people have been living in for decades. It will also impact tremendously on the natural environment surrounding it. I am thinking about Aylestone Meadows and the river corridor, but not only. What about air pollution which is recognised to kill people as they ingest fumes from cars? Did you know that there is St Mary Fields Primary school not far from where they are planning to build a road? What a poor example for children living in the area to see that their city favour cars over their health?

My main concern with this road stems from my experience living in Braunstone Frith where I can see the impact of social and economic deprivation. I believe that building a road does not solve this particular issue, it will induce more traffic for sure but will it really enhance the lives of people living where those cars are passing through?

Seeing cars every day before your eyes make one believe that having a car is the only way to make it in this life. It just increases the feeling of unworthiness when actually if we had better transport links and cycling routes around Leicester, people could feel more empowered to direct their lives. It will save them money and they will pay more attention to their direct environment. 

We shall also inspire them to create cultural, sport and artistic events in their local areas and/or create local businesses that benefit people living directly in their area. Instead of encouraging them to travel further and farther from where they live to create connections with work colleagues who have no clue about their living situation.

It is sad for me to think that some citizen in Leicester who tend to travel by car to go from their home to work do not realise the richness of their town (natural, historical, social and economic environment) as they are so siloed by their own personal goals. It is also sad that the council is perpetuating such a false concept by planning more roads. It is believed that building a road may improve citizen personal situation. Yet, it is not! because they become more isolated since they have no or little connection with people they work with and little connection with people they live with. 

For example, my husband travels by car every morning for 30minutes from our home to get to work. When he comes back, he has no energy to get involved in our local area. He has no connection with the people living here in Braunstone Frith and no connection with the people he works with. I am lucky to be able to work in Leicester for most of the week. I only go to Loughborough to work with the university there. Otherwise, I cycle, take the bus, walk and only when I need to transport big items do I use the car. I am richer because of it. I meet people in the local area, they recognise me, sometimes they approach me to ask me questions. I recently learnt about Braunstone Park Run. My husband lived in Braunstone Frith for the last 15 years, he had no idea. 

I can also see the opportunities that there is in the local area to create events or businesses. You would not have those ideas if you are always on the road and obviously if you do not have the time to educate yourself. Having to travel less definitely provide ones with more time to think about what they want and how to get there by collecting all the information they need. A road ultimately does not pass knowledge from one area to another if people have no connection with the people living next to them. In other words, it has very little economic value for people living there. Please read p.6. of the End of the Road Briefing on the Economics of New Road for more information.

I believe that we share a concern for people's health but also recognise the extent to which community events participate in strengthening the cultural and social fabric between the members of a community and this has economic value. It increases their loyalty to the area. And so I hope you will support my views by speaking out at the upcoming debate and help to get this plan off the map once and for all with a firm commitment by the council to consult with Leicester residents on what should be done with the land and property protected for possible road development.

Why do we want a firm commitment by the council to remove this plan from the map? It is because building this road has been a recurring plan in the past two decades. In the early 90s, The council tried to build in this area and was countered by a strong opposition. Last year 2017, the plan came up again.

You would argue that there is currently no official and formal plan by the council to build a road. However, I think that they do have an intention to build a road and this is considering that Cllr Adam Clarke signed of the funding bid for the opening of Putney Road and I will quote the council p.8 of the same document: "Leicester City Council is considering a future scheme whereby Evesham Road would be extended to provide a direct link (new vehicular bridge over River Soar and canal) between the A426 Aylestone Road and the A5460 Narborough Road and M1/J21. There are very few river crossings in the south of the city (namely Upperton Road and Middleton Street) and providing this link would free up those congested routes across the river. The Putney Road link would greatly enhance the viability of building the Evesham Road link."

Can you see where my concern is? There may be no official plan yet. But for me the ''intention'' is alarming and so everytime a consultation will be put forward, this recurring plan will come back to haunt Leicester constituents.

What I would really love to see is for the council to share and make the same commitment of its constituents in Aylestone and across its various wards and areas to promote and protect their green environment, considering them as lungs of the city.

Lungs are the most important part of the human body and we say that smoking kills, remember cars' moke do kill people too and so the Lungs of Leicester - its Green areas - are worth protecting from harm.

It is with this official commitment by the council to protect this area that our efforts in reaching out to you and other councillors will be rewarded.

We should work to encourage people to use their car less and not the contrary.

I will appreciate that you take my concern into considerations and share with your fellow councillors the opportunities that can be created in protecting what we have so dear.

x

Gift economy trail of discussion

The conversation between two strangers arguing that a group offering a service shall organise themselves to make it possible for those who cannot pay to not have to pay.

M: I am not talking about individual offering a service. I am talking about group offering a service and charging for it. They have to organise themselves so not everyone pays by using a collection plate so people can remain anonymous. this is the way forward for a gift economy.

M: being an individual or a group does not change the fact that we have currently an incurrent charge to live in the current market economy and this includes paying rent, taxes and expenses. If as a group, we are delivering a service, we are already contributing in term of energy, money, time, the cost of the place, etc. As much as not being judgemental with what we receive in return, how many time do we have to send the collection plate around to make people feel that they have to share their gifts too and please note their gift does not have to be only monetary.

M: well there is another way to collect the gift, you have to be more creative in your collection mean by using the rainbow kit, a gift circle, donations at the entrance etc..

M: Do not get me wrong, it is what is happening already. What you are putting forward as solutions for collection is adopted by many communities. it does not change the fact that by design the cost incurred to pay for capital cost means that some will choose to contribute and some other will decide that they won't. Either way, there will be always someone who will feel that they are taken advantage of. to tame them down, we will say to them ''well this is part of the gift economy, this is because we are a compassionate community who give freely and please be grateful for all that is given to you and hush already''...

M: there will be always distrusting exchangers who are present, you have to educate them on what the gift economy is., the real issue is with the people who charge for events where the unemployed cannot come...they are cold and cruel.

M: the issue is not with the distrusting exchangers or the person who set prices, they are not cold or cruel, the issue is not with those who haven't got money or unemployed. the issue is that the buildings in which we are, the tools that we used, all the infrastructures that allow us to drink, eat, take a shower are all bound to go to entropy if not maintained. and unfortunately, in the market economy, a lot of it has a price tag. People care about their safety and being able to live in a stable world, they will engage with others to increase their resilience by exchanging gifts - skills knowledge products money etc. However, they always do mental accounting on the extent to which a relationship is fair, care of their physical and mental being and maintain their current environment...any signs of unfairness does create some politics for which a consensus need to be found.

Free Speech in the age of identity politics - Welcome back to the future of young days' bullying

The blur is real.

When I was young, I was sent every holiday, in one of the toughest neighbourhood in Paris where most children of immigrants can be found, to experience first hand what it means to be a product of your environment. I was bullied not because of the colour I shared with them but what I represented in their mind - the product of a middle-class family.

Yes, I was born neither white or black. I identify as mixed race. I was privileged to be raised in a household where your creativity and ingenuity was more prized than any other type of achievement (i.e. education, getting married or making money).

The experience made me appreciate even more what was given to me. The experience also forced me to be very selective in what I was allowed to say depending on the people I was with. Social oppression in the age of free speech is just too real when you are young and uneducated.

As for now, I am more educated and aware that free speech is one of the foundations of our enlightened worlds. I speak my mind more freely with all the communities I encounter. I try my best to remain an individual and yet find a way to universally share with others some type of consensus.

I recognise the limitations of free speech particularly in the age of identity politics.
Groups that share features of the same identity use sometimes Free Speech as a weapon to undermine who their opponent is by insulting them, being possibly violent in their words and actions. Instead of engaging further into an intellectual conversation about their shared and diverse attitudes and beliefs, so they can a consensus on what is universally best for each individual on this planet.

I encounter less and less such communities. When I do, it feels like being in the jungle of suburbians Paris with all the young bullying and fighting. It feels like primary school and high school with all of us left out by our parents in a prison with other crazy individuals.

The only way, I found, to deal with such community is to never confront them as a group but find in the edges the wise leaders to speak to directly. Eventually, their culture may change and they will find as a group a way to redefine who they are and find a way to communicate that will benefit humanity as a whole.

What do you think? Let me know.

Philosophical conversation - Religions in the Age of the Internet

With my brother and sister, we always enjoy starting some philosophical conversation on the meaning of life.
My brother made an interesting point on religions, philosophies and other dogms. with the rise of the internet, we now can bring together meanings and teachings of various religions and with a systemic view find pure principles to live in harmony with one another. Religions exist to allow communities to live with one another and are colored by the cultural specificities of each but if we reall study religion we can become more and profoundly find our path to enlightement. so dig and find the principles tht will lead you to an happier life without the pain of attachment, just be.