Hedonistic Utilitarianism and the (Non-)Problem of the Double Standard with Regard to State Justification

Abstract

Some anarchists claim that defenders of the state apply a moral double standard in that they allow representatives of the state to do things they would never allow other individuals to do. In this article it is argued that a defense of the state based on hedonistic utilitarianism does not fall victim to that double standard and that a hedonist can, at least in principle, defend most of the types of activities that modern state officials are engaged in, except some (rare) forms of paternalism. It is, however, also argued that this does not give a carte blanche to state officials to do what they want in the name of happiness maximization. Lastly, it is claimed that discussing what is right to do to other people is more fruitful than discussing whether people have a duty to obey or not.

Keywords: utilitarianism, hedonism, anarchism, libertarianism, ethics, political philosophy, state justification, anarcho-capitalism, minarchism, minimal state

JEL Classification: Y80