Utilitarian Emblem?

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southpointingchariot
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Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby southpointingchariot » Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:33 pm

Is there a utilitarian "emblem" used in the community? I've had some trouble determining one, but perhaps I'm missing something. If there isn't one, I'd like to suggest the Sigma, as in summation, for felicific calculus and commensurability.

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RyanCarey
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby RyanCarey » Fri Sep 16, 2011 1:20 am

The sigma is a superb symbol for utilitarianism. It's main rival would seem to be the smiley face.
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southpointingchariot
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby southpointingchariot » Fri Sep 16, 2011 2:18 am

Ah yes. I'm not sure the face would fit in all contexts though. I'm working on a webpage for the Review, and I wonder if the face would work there or the sigma would be better.

DanielLC
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby DanielLC » Fri Sep 16, 2011 4:31 am

Why not combine them? Σ, to represent that we sum happiness.
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RyanCarey
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby RyanCarey » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:00 am

Sigma-smiley! Kinda catchy, you've gotta admit.
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Jesper Östman
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby Jesper Östman » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:11 am

+1

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Arepo
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby Arepo » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:48 am

Anyone got the design skills to combine them properly into a single symbol? (tattoed face? :P)
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby RyanCarey » Fri Sep 16, 2011 12:20 pm

Wait, Arepo, you're going to tattoo what on to your face?

just kidding guys
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Ruairi
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby Ruairi » Fri Sep 16, 2011 3:03 pm

maybe those of us who are less hardcore than arepo can get t shirts :)

what about
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DanielLC
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby DanielLC » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:34 pm

Back to the symbol thing, you could also do 4.

I don't think the "I want to..." thing works very well. I help other people because they want it, and their happiness outweighs my own.
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Ruairi
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby Ruairi » Sun Sep 18, 2011 8:07 pm

aye yea i was looking for a dictionary definition but i couldnt find any that were short and worked and were easily understandable (i think once you say the word utility people have no idea whats going on and why would they to be honest)

i like the "4 smiley face" thing :) i dont think the smiley face on its own will cause anyone to ask what it means, unless you put "utilitarianism" above it. and i think the same with the sigma symbol except that i think a smiley face is more attractive than the sigma.

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Arepo
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby Arepo » Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:04 am

RyanCarey wrote:Wait, Arepo, you're going to tattoo what on to your face?

just kidding guys


I already have a utilitarianism tattoo, believe it or not.

I can't help but find an unadorned smiley face a bit cheesy, whatever accompanies it (fwiw I think the sigma symbol is much neater). I'm thinking it would look better to merge the symbols, say so the sigma connected the left eye (as we see it) of the face to the mouth, perhaps becoming part of both. (mainly to look neat, but we could claim it's a symbol of the meeting of thought and emotion ;))
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spindoctor
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby spindoctor » Wed Sep 21, 2011 4:59 am

As someone who tends towards negative U, the smiley face doesn't really grab me. Even though it is cute. The other problem is, it's rather anthropocentric/speciesist!

Jesper Östman
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby Jesper Östman » Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:07 am

Arepo: How does it look/what does it say? I've been toying with the idea of an "Utilitas"-tattoo myself.

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Arepo
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby Arepo » Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:27 am

Jesper, you can see a (not very flattering) photo of it near the bottom of my profile pics on Facebook.

It's fairly specific to my views, hence me not suggesting it - the Invisible Pink Unicorn logo in a U rather than a circle, which depending on my mood either simply stands for utilitarianism, or for the universal quantifier, with the unicorn representing scepticism. So the pair signify the universal scepticism which leads me to the view that the only things that matters in the universe are our feelings that things matter.
"These were my only good shoes."
"You ought to have put on an old pair, if you wished to go a-diving," said Professor Graham, who had not studied moral philosophy in vain.

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Gee Joe
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby Gee Joe » Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:02 pm

I agree with the smiley face being anthropocentric. I rather favour a wagging tail 'cause canines are awesome but that'd be also speciesist. I suggest a non-pictographic symbol for 'felicific', like f.

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southpointingchariot
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby southpointingchariot » Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:33 pm

Mike Retriever wrote:I agree with the smiley face being anthropocentric. I rather favour a wagging tail 'cause canines are awesome but that'd be also speciesist. I suggest a non-pictographic symbol for 'felicific', like f.

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This looks very nice indeed - my only thought is that I was attracted o the sigma for it's simplicity and reproducibility, and I for one find the italic f hard to draw - though admittedly this is not my skill. Looks great though.

DanielLC
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby DanielLC » Fri Sep 23, 2011 2:45 am

My problem is that it's not obvious what the f stands for. I don't think felicific would be most peoples' first guess. Also, I think it would make more sense for the f to stand for felicity.
Consequentialism: The belief that doing the right thing makes the world a better place.

Pat
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby Pat » Fri Sep 23, 2011 7:56 am

spindoctor wrote:The other problem is, it's rather anthropocentric/speciesist!

Mike Retriever wrote:I agree with the smiley face being anthropocentric.

Uh-oh. Looks like the PC police have arrived. :) Wait—was that smiley face also speciesist? KIDDING. But srsly. :D

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Arepo
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Re: Utilitarian Emblem?

Postby Arepo » Fri Sep 23, 2011 10:02 am

In general if we're picking a combination of symbols, IMO some artistic combination of them will look more distinct than simply placing them next to each other.
"These were my only good shoes."
"You ought to have put on an old pair, if you wished to go a-diving," said Professor Graham, who had not studied moral philosophy in vain.


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