What is Internal Affairs?

What do you consider the two best objections to the idea that one state of affairs is better than another?

• Discuss what you consider the best two objections to the idea that one state of affairs is better than another if and only if the aggregate of pleasure experienced by all sentient beings in the former state of affairs is greater than the aggregate of pleasure experienced by all sentient beings in the latter. Are these objections sound? How might this account of what makes one state of affairs better than another be revised to avoid these objections? (Philosophy Ethics Final Study Guide Help!)

• Answer:

  Objection? Who would object to normative standards? It is only without such standards that one could say one state of affairs would not be better than another. To say one is better requires judgment. While there may be individual cases where both are equally good or bad, they are rare. It usually comes down to "the lesser of two evils", or of one state being the better of two flawed states, where either one is "good", but one is "better". Ignore the idea of normative standards, then any and all arguments become relativistic or subjective.