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Pragmatism/utilitarianism

Pragmatism是實用主義；務實思想，即關注一件事情是否實用practical，而不是從抽象的角度看問題，通俗地說，就是來點實際的，而不是玩虛的。例如：She had a reputation for clear thinking and pragmatism。

Utilitarianism是功利主義。所謂功利主義，簡單來說，是一種倫理學上的概念，認為判斷一件事情是好是壞，要從結果上看，結果是好的，那么這事兒就值得做，反之則不值得。功利主義在歷史上曾產生過巨大的影響，也招致廣泛的批評。舉例來說， assume a hospital has four people whose lives depend upon receiving organ transplants: a heart, lungs, a kidney, and a liver. If a healthy person wanders into the hospital, his organs could be harvested to save four lives at the expense of one life. This would arguably produce the greatest good for the greatest number. But few would consider it an acceptable course of action, let alone the most ethical one. So, although utilitarianism is arguably the most reason-based approach to determining right and wrong, it has obvious limitations.

上面這句話的大意是，一間醫院有四個病人急等物件捐贈，否則隨時掛掉。此時，有一個健康人來到這間醫院，把他“用了”，可以救四個人的命。從功利主義的角度看，這事兒劃算啊。那么，可以嗎？能夠嗎？我相信，大部分有道德底線的人不會同意的。所以，功利主義的利弊算得很精，但局限是明擺著的。

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