Isn't it more likely that those who fail to promote the general
>welfare do so not out of any mistaken illusions (though they're certainly
>common enough) about what composes the greatest good but rather because
>they're pursuing their own self-interests or the interests of some sect to
>which they belong? Lacking any evidence to the contrary, I think it's
>reasonable to assume that unintended consequences balance out over the long
>run.
>
Not everyone is a utilitarian, Luke. Some people might think that the greatest good of the greatest number involved injustice, for example, because it led to less freedom than there might otherwise be. Or less Islam, or less Christianity, whatever--nit because they belonged to those sects but because they thought that they had the true religion. jks
--jks
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