Ah, our old friends the Utilitarians. These are people who believe that, if something does more good than harm, it’s OK. It may do harm, but nonetheless, it also does good – therefore, we like it. To put it in more technical terms, from Wikipedia: “Utilitarianism is the ethical doctrine that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its contribution to overall utility.”
And what action am I referring to? Thought you’d never ask. I read this story courtesy of Slashdot today. Here is what it said:
“Indiana regulators exempted BP from state environmental laws to clear the way for a $3.8 billion expansion that will allow the company to refine heavier Canadian crude oil. They justified the move in part by noting the project will create 80 new jobs. The company will now be allowed to dump an average of 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of sludge into Lake Michigan every day.”
What a coincidence. Studies have shown that Bill Kristol’s skull contains, at any one time, at least 4,925 pounds of sludge. So, Indiana regulators have allowed a criminal corporation to poison Lake Michigan by dumping the contents of Bill Kristol’s skull into the lake every single day! Ghastly.
Anyway, back to the Utilitarian part. The quick-minded will have already picked it up. Despite dumping Bill Kristol’s brains into the lake every day, we’re going to create 80 new jobs. Kinda not unlike all them spiffy new jobs created by the attack on Iraq, no? Sure, it kills people, sure it destroys property, sure it inflames hatred of the West…
But it creates jobs.
And Lefties can’t take Austro-Libertarianism because whom but the State will protect the fragile environment? And whom but the State is protecting it now?
