This is a rigorous analysis from the brilliant utilitarian mind of Brian Tomasik originally published at http://www.utilitarian-essays.com in 2005. I made this graph in 2007 to try to illustrate his point visually. Abstract. Consuming equal weights of different animal products may produce vastly different expected amounts of direct suffering. Farmed seafood may cause the…
Empiricism
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Why Think by Numbers?
A world without disease, starvation, violence, and suffering is the ultimate destination of humanity. Getting there will require voters to base their decisions on statistical cost-benefit analyses instead of irrational emotions. The power of numbers can make utopia a reality.
Government Spending
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Governments Spend $1.8 Trillion Murdering Us and Destroying Our Property Annually
World governments are spending $1.8 TRILLION each year finding ways to murder us and destroy our property.
Drug War
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$1.5 Trillion Has Been Wasted on a Drug War that Hasn’t Even Reduced Drug Use
Dear President Obama, I know you’re very busy, so I’m very sorry to bother you with this. However, I think what I have to say too important for you to ignore. I appreciate that you are trying to make the world a better place. I respect you as a person. Against all adversity you…
Keynsian Creationism and Intelligently Design Economies
The mythology of effective Keynesian centralized economic planning is born of the same mother as the mythology of creationist intelligent design. Both of these fantasies arise as a result of the human mind’s inability to deal with complex systems.
Economics
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GDP and You!
Gross domestic product (GDP) is the value of all final goods and services produced within a country. The reason GDP matters is that it is directly correlated to a reduction in human suffering. Economic growth is the primary differentiating factor between a life lived in the US and a life lived in North…
A Utilitarian Party Platform
Jonathan Baron proposes this Utilitarian Party platform: Utilitarians try to help people achieve their rational goals. We focus on the issues where policies can make a big difference. We count all people. We are internationalists. We are concerned with what is best for the world, not just the U.S., or our…
Economics
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Wealth Inequality in America
Infographics on the distribution of wealth in America, highlighting both the inequality and the difference between our perception of inequality and the actual numbers. The reality is often not what we think it is.
Monkey Business
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Drink by Numbers!
In response to recent allegations that Anheuser-Busch has been watering down its beer to boost profits, my lab used gas chromatography with flame ion detection to determine if this was indeed the case. Our analyses suggest with greater than 99% certainty that Budweiser is, and shall remain, the king of beers. Beer…
Government Spending
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$2.3 Trillion Missing from Pentagon
On Sept. 10, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld declared war. Not on foreign terrorists, “the adversary’s closer to home. It’s the Pentagon bureaucracy,” he said. He said money wasted by the military poses a serious threat. “In fact, it could be said it’s a matter of life and death,” he…