Lucas yet, and there was something about Lucas that also turned me on. I was looking forward to my next date with him as well. I couldn’t believe that I was actively flirting and dating two hot guys. This was going to be a really hard decision, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. But, at least I didn’t have to worry about it just yet.
“So Connor, let’s not talk so seriously right now. Tell me more about this philosophy stuff. What did you want to ask?”
“Oh, I wanted to know your opinion on utilitarianism.”
“Utilitarianism?” I asked him questioningly. “I’m not really that familiar with that. What’s that?”
“Oh, you didn’t study any philosophy in college?”
“No. I told you I was mainly in history and anthropology classes. I did take Philosophy 101 as a freshman, but if I’m honest, I can’t really remember much.”
“Oh sure. That makes sense. Have you ever heard of John Stuart Mill?” He asked me, and I shook my head. Then, I realized he couldn’t see me. I smiled to myself. This dating in the dark thing was hard. All of the normal social cues were gone without sight.
“No. Honestly, I’ve never heard of him.”
“Oh wow, okay. Well, John Stuart Mill was one of the most influential English language philosophers of the nineteenth century. He was a naturalist and a utilitarian, and he had some really interesting ideas about mankind.”
“Oh. Tell me more. I’ve never really heard about him.”
“Well, there are three principles that serve as the basic axioms of utilitarianism.”
“Wow, axioms,” I laughed. “You sound so intelligent right now. I have to admit I’m turned on.” And it was true. What I really liked about Connor was the fact that our dates were different from the norm. We had actual conversations. We talked about real topics. Yes, he flirted like a sailor, but I liked that side of him as well. Who didn’t want a sexy intelligent hunk?
“Well, I’m very glad to hear that,” he said with a smirk in his voice. “I love the fact that I turn you on. I’m guessing my brains turn you on more than my body?”
“You know what, Connor? You’re hot and you’re intelligent, so let’s just say both are doing it for me. But please, tell me more about the three principles of utilitarianism.”
“Okay. Well, one,” he said, “Pleasure and happiness are the only things that truly have intrinsic value. What do you think about that?”
“I don’t know. Let me think...Pleasure and happiness are the only things that only have intrinsic value.” I repeated his words and thought for a few minutes. “I mean, yeah. Of course pleasure has intrinsic value, but don’t you think money has intrinsic value as well?”
“Yes, but money is a part of happiness. Doesn’t money make you happy?”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“Can you think of anything that you consider valuable that doesn’t make you happy?”
“Huh, I don’t know. I’ve never thought about that before. I guess not though. I’d have to think more.”
“Okay. So here’s the second principle. Actions are right in so far as they promote happiness, wrong in so far as they produce unhappiness.”
“So, what you’re saying is every action that promotes happiness is right? But what if you do something bad to promote happiness? Is that okay?”
“Well, is it bad because it makes someone else unhappy, or is it just bad for another reason? Because if it’s bad because it makes someone else unhappy, then it’s wrong.”
“Hmm. I guess that makes sense, depending on how you look at it. What’s the last one?”
“So, the last one is, everyone’s happiness counts equally.”
“Okay. Yeah. I like that. Equality for all. I believe in that one-hundred-percent. As someone who studies history and anthropology and looks at how mankind has treated each other and how there’s always been this division, like a divide and conquer, I actually really believe that everyone’s happiness should count equally. In reality, I don’t think that it does, and I think history has shown us that some people, to succeed, put others down. But, I think that intrinsically, it should.”
“I agree, actually. But then, have you ever heard of a writer called Ursula Le Guin?”
I shook my head and then laughed at myself. He can’t see you Gemma! “Sorry, no. Is she a utilitarianist as well?”
“Actually, she was an author, and she wrote this really interesting piece of philosophical fiction. It was a short story, and it was called The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.”