[ProgressingAmerica]

If anybody wants on/off the revolutionary progressivism ping list, send me a message

Progressives do not want to discuss their own history. I want to discuss their history.

[Ohioan]

The essential distinction between principled American values & Utilitarianism, is that while the free society actually produces more utilitarian results than any other, it is premised upon moral principles, inherent in Natural Law, including those defined so well by the Founding Fathers. To apply the Utilitarian mantra--the "greatest good," etc., actually leads to Communism, or National Socialism (Collectivist/Totalitarian Movements). It invites demagogues to appropriate the labor, ingenuity & resources of the individual, by its very definition.

America's greatest writer, Edgar Allan Poe, actually had the Utilitarians' number back in his day: Poe On Utilitarians.

William Flax

[IronJack]

Communists don’t even apply the “Benthamite calculus” correctly; they focus entirely on “the greatest number” phrase, and disregard “the greatest good.”

Algebraically, a tremendous good for a few is the equivalent of a modest good for the many. So Utilitarianism can be as much an argument for capitalism as for communism.

And then there’s always the question of who determines the extent of the good, its quality, and its duration. Many “good” ideas of the Left have spawned highly undesirable outcomes, whereas the seemingly harsh philosophies of the Right have paid long-term dividends.