What is the greatest good for the greatest number?

[trenton]

This utilitarian idea drew me to politics because I see the government as the potential to something incredible for mankind.  I usually think of the greatest number as including all of humanity in every country.  Maybe animals should be added to the number.  As for the greatest good, I think of truth.  This can be challenged if it is better to lie to people for the greatest good.  For example, suppose the U.S. Government does not have the corona virus under control, but they want to prevent panic as that would make the situation worse.  They tell the citizens that they have it under control when really they don't and the situation gets better because less people are panicking.

I would like a few questions to be answered.  What is the greatest good?  How does it apply to politics?  How should we interpret information in order to most effectively detect the greatest good for the greatest number?  How do we overcome our own thinking biases to minimize corruption?

My curiosity about these questions makes me think I should go back to college to learn more about politics.  If a find an interesting career, I might be able to do a lot of good while remembering that I could hurt people of I do not overcome my own corruption.

[Apparition of Jack]

Consciousness, consciousness, consciousness! Any policy that helps both individuals and collectives raise consciousness will always be preferable to ones that don't. This can include things like:

- meeting everyone's basic needs (so they can then focus their efforts on growing consciousness, not meeting these needs),
- promoting health and high-consciousness nutrition
- teaching systems thinking and meta-awareness of social issues
- teaching people how to find their life purpose

And so on.  Also, being pragmatic and non-ideological about policies tends to be superior to being stubborn and ideological. You should be willing to work with conservatives if you're a progressive and vice versa, since you're never going to have a government full of people who 100% agree with you. That's not to say don't have values, but it does mean you shouldn't resist the good because it's not your version of the perfect.

Although it's important to keep in mind that as you yourself grow in awareness, you will begin to see how everything, even the stuff that looks mean and nasty on the surface (like poverty, war, rape, genocide, etc.), is in fact still the unfolding of universal Love, so in a sense perfect utilitarianism is already happening.

[trenton]

@Apparition of Jack if I look at what you gave as examples of raising our consciousness, I can apply to myself.  Most of actualized.org is to understand systems thinking and meta awareness on politics.  My life purpose is currently gravitating toward politics and consciousness.  My nutrition could use improvement if I want to maximize my consciousness.  As for meeting my basic needs I am not financially independent.  This means that I could raise my consciousness and become a better leader if I develop the independence necessary to meet my needs on my own with my own money while improving how I eat.  I would feel weird if I promoted healthy eating when I eat a lot of junk food myself.

When applying this collectively I can see how consciousness is good way to consider the greatest good for the greatest number.  I might look for other ways of thinking as well.  Good answer.