Would it be incorrect to say that Jesus practiced utilitarianism? Obv the tearm didnt exist then, but u know what i mean...

why no answers???

Define what you mean by utilitarianism and I'll take a stab at it. My inclination was to say "no, not really" but I avoided responding because I didn't want to get bogged down in five pages of hashing out what utilitarianism is or isn't.

So, go ahead and drop a short summary, and I'll let you know my thoughts.

wanting the best for all people? or most good for all

Maybe, but he definitely was not a consequentialist under any reading I've undertaken, so I'd have to say "no" to traditional utilitarian definitions.

okay... what about non-traditional utilitarian definitions?

I guess it depends on how picky you want to be about "wanting the best for everyone."

For example, in the New Testament, there's a story that goes something like this:


Jesus: Yo.
Woman: Hey Jesus, you rock! I'm gonna dump this expensive perfume all over you!
Jesus: Cool.
* woman dumps perfume *
Disciples: WTF Big J, we could have sold that and given the money to the poor!
Jesus: Yeah, but one of you jerks is going to stick me to a tree pretty soon, and you'll always have poor people. If that's how she wants to honor me let her, I won't be here long.


Now, obviously this is one tiny snippet of the NT, and generally, Jesus acted in the best welfare of the people around him.* Not sure if that helps or not.

*Assuming the Biblical account is more or less accurate. Obviously if you believe Jesus was a con-artist or whatever, your opinion will vary.

well, if you spent your lifetime trying to help others i would guess that right before you die you have earned the right to enjoy a simple pleasure like perfume?

edit: if true, it was prolly symbolic imo

i think everyone is practicing utilitarianism to be honest. its just that everyone does the calculus differently.