Phenoutilism holds that the only things that exist are experiences—specific processes in the brain or continuous inputs from elsewhere—and all experiences have utilities. Whether we have any control over them is moot; we only react to the utilities we assign.
Phenoutilism rejects the existence of objective reality or morality. “Objective reality” is a useful fiction; the world we act upon is shaped by our subjective experiences. Because utilities differ across individuals, no universal prescriptive statements can stand.
Utility is an extra perceived linear dimension for every experience, derived from emotions (joy, anger, sadness, etc.), which drives action toward higher-utility experiences.
There are eight fundamental sources of utility:
P (Physical Reality): Hedonism
M (Metaphysical Reality): Pattern recognition
I (Physical Action): Instinctive, animalistic action
E (Metaphysical Action): Self-expression, creativity
O (Objective Reality): Information about the external world
S (Subjective Reality): Introspection, others’ preferences
A (Objective Action): Rational, conscious action
C (Subjective Action): Opinion communication, emotions
Sources are interlinked: four “ability” pairs (P–I, M–E, O–A, S–C), four “necessity” pairs (P = E, M = I, O = C, S = A), and indirect connections—so valuing one entails the rest.
Every moral debate—abortion, justice, welfare—boils down to hierarchies of utility sources. Saying “abortion is wrong” masks “I dislike abortion.”
The charge that phenoutilism invites egoistic anarchy overlooks that roughly half of us prioritize social-value sources (structure, cooperation) over agentic-value sources, ensuring stable societies.
