In the original, the A+ to B- transition RAISES the average. It’s the A to A+ transition that lowers the average.
I edited the post to fix that. Thank you for pointing that out.
Also, I think it’s rather aside from the point to begin talking about resource management.
It is, that’s why Alice tells Bob to stop fighting the hypothetical and puts the conversation back on track. The reason I added that line was to illustrate a wrong way to approach the MAP.
After discussing this with Unnamed and Thrasymachus I think the main issue is that I was attacking the idea that the world of the Repugnant Conclusion represents the optimal society. That is, I was arguing that creating a RC-type world does not represent the most efficient way for a society to convert the resources it has into utility.
However, I think I gave the impression that I was talking about the idea that an RC-type world can never be better (have more utility period, regardless of how efficiently it was obtained). I was not disputing this. I concede that a very small society that converts all the resources it has into utility as optimally as possible may still have less utility than a society that is so huge and has so many resources that it can produce more utility by pure brute force. Keep in mind that I regard utility as being generated most effectively by having a combo of high average and total wellbeing, rather than just maximizing one or the other.
For instance, let’s say a small island with a moderate-sized population who have wonderful lives converts resources into utility at 100 utilons per resource point, and has access to 10 resource points. Result: 1000 utilons.
Then let’s imagine a huge continent with a huge population that has somewhat less pleasant lives and converts resources into utility at 50 utilons per resource point, and has access to 30 resource points. Result, 1500 utilons. So the continent could be regarded as better, even though it is less optimal.
I believe that talking about resource management is relevant when talking about optimality. You are right, however, that it is not very relevant when talking about betterness, since when postulating better possible societies you can postulate that they have any amount of resources you want.
In the original, the A+ to B- transition RAISES the average. It’s the A to A+ transition that lowers the average.
Also, I think it’s rather aside from the point to begin talking about resource management.
I edited the post to fix that. Thank you for pointing that out.
It is, that’s why Alice tells Bob to stop fighting the hypothetical and puts the conversation back on track. The reason I added that line was to illustrate a wrong way to approach the MAP.
I’m talking about Alice’s challenge later -
Your criticism of the hypothetical does not fill the standard you apply to it.
After discussing this with Unnamed and Thrasymachus I think the main issue is that I was attacking the idea that the world of the Repugnant Conclusion represents the optimal society. That is, I was arguing that creating a RC-type world does not represent the most efficient way for a society to convert the resources it has into utility.
However, I think I gave the impression that I was talking about the idea that an RC-type world can never be better (have more utility period, regardless of how efficiently it was obtained). I was not disputing this. I concede that a very small society that converts all the resources it has into utility as optimally as possible may still have less utility than a society that is so huge and has so many resources that it can produce more utility by pure brute force. Keep in mind that I regard utility as being generated most effectively by having a combo of high average and total wellbeing, rather than just maximizing one or the other.
For instance, let’s say a small island with a moderate-sized population who have wonderful lives converts resources into utility at 100 utilons per resource point, and has access to 10 resource points. Result: 1000 utilons.
Then let’s imagine a huge continent with a huge population that has somewhat less pleasant lives and converts resources into utility at 50 utilons per resource point, and has access to 30 resource points. Result, 1500 utilons. So the continent could be regarded as better, even though it is less optimal.
I believe that talking about resource management is relevant when talking about optimality. You are right, however, that it is not very relevant when talking about betterness, since when postulating better possible societies you can postulate that they have any amount of resources you want.