I N T R O

Intro to Utility

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In the first part of this dialogue, the emphasis was on the right to compensation, the rights of job applicants, and the possibility that the rights of white applicants might be violated by strong affirmative action that gave a preference to black applicants. All of these issues are phrased in terms of RIGHTS --a powerful and popular way of setting up moral and legal issues.

But talking about rights is not the only way to set up these issues. Another approach, equally powerful and popular, is to talk about the GOOD produced by actions, laws, and policies. In other words, the actions and policies of individuals and governments can be judged by the standard of utility (or good consequences) as well as rights.


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