ARBUS202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Utility
16 Feb 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
For machiavelli and carr, there is a distinction between public and private morality. For carr ethics doesn"t enter into the equation. The only thing that matters is legality and profitability. For the likes of machiavelli and carr, it is not in your self interest to act morally in the public sphere. Adam smith says the greater good emerges from everyone doing what is in their self interest. By pursuing his own interest, he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it adam smith if is your goal to be moral. Then it is in your self interest to be good. Modern utility theory generalizes maximization of self-interest to maximization of personal utility. It takes utility broadly enough to accommodate all goals, not just self-interest. It is not always possible to make a decision that everyone can agree on.
