Negative utilitarianism
Imagine you have a jar of cookies that you want to share with your friends. Positive utilitarianism is like giving everyone as many cookies as possible so that they feel really happy. Negative utilitarianism is like making sure that no one gets poisoned by giving them cookies with rotten ingredients.
Negative utilitarianism is a philosophy that focuses on minimizing suffering rather than maximizing happiness or pleasure. This means that it is important to avoid causing harm or pain to others, even if it means sacrificing some level of happiness or pleasure.
For example, a negative utilitarian would not support animal testing even if it leads to medical breakthroughs because it causes harm to animals. Similarly, they would prioritize reducing poverty and inequality over maximizing economic growth because poverty and inequality cause suffering.
In summary, negative utilitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes avoiding harm and minimizing suffering as the most important factor in decision making. It focuses on ensuring that people are not negatively affected, even if it means sacrificing some level of happiness or pleasure.
Negative utilitarianism is a philosophy that focuses on minimizing suffering rather than maximizing happiness or pleasure. This means that it is important to avoid causing harm or pain to others, even if it means sacrificing some level of happiness or pleasure.
For example, a negative utilitarian would not support animal testing even if it leads to medical breakthroughs because it causes harm to animals. Similarly, they would prioritize reducing poverty and inequality over maximizing economic growth because poverty and inequality cause suffering.
In summary, negative utilitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes avoiding harm and minimizing suffering as the most important factor in decision making. It focuses on ensuring that people are not negatively affected, even if it means sacrificing some level of happiness or pleasure.
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