Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps “Have We Got Morality Backwards? The Case Against Utilitarianism” with Bo Winegard
Nov 17, 2025
Bo Winegard, a social psychologist and author, critiques utilitarian ethics, particularly the views of Peter Singer. He argues that the pursuit of the greatest good can lead to troubling outcomes, questioning whether utilitarianism is a solid moral foundation. Bo discusses the shift from act to rule utilitarianism, explores deontological ethics, and defends a pragmatic approach focused on community flourishing. They dive into the complexities of punishment, the limits of human nature, and challenge the moral implications of high-impact individuals versus egalitarianism.
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Three Core Failures Of Singerism
- Bo Winegard argues Singer is brilliant but his philosophy is spectacularly wrong on key premises.
- He identifies utilitarianism, cosmopolitanism, and rationalism as Singer's three dubious promises.
What Utilitarianism Really Claims
- Utilitarianism reduces moral value to pleasure, pain, or preferences and seeks to maximize overall utility.
- Bo stresses differences between act and rule utilitarianism and prefers rule-based versions as more plausible.
Smoking Example Shows Pleasures Can Be Bad
- Bo uses his history as a smoker who cheated to show pleasures can be bad.
- He argues some pleasures (like addiction) are not morally good despite being subjectively pleasant.
