negative utilitarian

comparative more negative utilitarian · superlative most negative utilitarian

1. Pertaining to negative utilitarianism.

   Some argue for a negative utilitarian view that focuses on minimization of misery rather than the maximization of well-being (Wolf 1997).

   2001, Clark Wolf, “Population”, in Dale Jamieson, editor, A Companion to Environmental Philosophy (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy), Maiden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers, →ISBN, part IV (Problems in Environmental Philosophy), page 374

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   Notice, however, that a single-minded emphasis on eliminating pain would seem to imply that hunting a population of sentient creatures to extinction would be a good thing, because this would prevent an infinite amount of pain. Although the hedonistic utilitarian principle as usually formulated involves potentially inconsistent goals (minimize pain and maximize pleasure), it is thus far preferable to a negative utilitarian principle of simply minimizing pain.

   1998, Gary E[dward] Varner, “Can Animal Rights Activists Be Environmentalists?”, in In Nature’s Interests? Interests, Animal Rights, and Environmental Ethics (Environmental Ethics and Science Policy Series), New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, pages 117–118

   Some transhumanist scholars hold a negative utilitarian ethic, advocating that the strongest ethical mandate is the abolition of suffering among sentient beings.

   2014, Ronald M[ichael] Green, Nathan J. Palpant, “Suffering and Bioethics: An Introduction to the Volume”, in Suffering and Bioethics, Oxford, Oxon: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 2

plural negative utilitarians

1. Someone who practices or advocates negative utilitarianism.

   First, as indicated already, negative utilitarians seek to minimize the sum total of distress.

   2008, Roger Brownsword, Rights, Regulation, and the Technological Revolution, Oxford, Oxon: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 54

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   Although, along with many so-called negative utilitarians, his emphasis is on reducing pain, rather than increasing pleasure.

   2001, Christopher Belshaw, Environmental Philosophy: Reason, Nature and Human Concern, Chesham, Bucks: Acumen, →ISBN, page 296

   Rather than strive to achieve the best balance of happiness over pain, negative utilitarians argue that we should be concerned with minimising extremes of pain.

   2006, Gerald Jones, Daniel Cardinal, Jeremy Hayward, Moral Philosophy: A Guide to Ethical Theory (Philosophy in Focus), London: Hodder Murray, published 2010, →ISBN, page 84