Imagine a society of unlimited abundance, profound science, and beautiful art. A society where everyone is thriving, beautiful, and happy. Now imagine there is a dark, twisted secret at the heart of this utopia that makes it all work. Would it still be worth it?
Today we're talking about Ursula K. LeGuin's story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. A thought experiment that tests the limits of utilitarianism: The moral framework that strives to maximize the happiness of the greatest number of people.
This is the first in a three part series on utilitarianism. This week, we'll focus a key critique of the philosophy, next week we'll dive into J.S Mill's original essay on the topic, and the week after we'll discuss the modern Princeton utilitarian: Peter Singer.
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