Hi all,
I've noticed that when I'm listening to music, occasionally my ears prick up and I notice something that intentionally or inadvertantly reminds me of utilitarianism!

Here's a couple of examples
Michelle Meehan - The Happy Song:

Michelle Meehan:Got a good feeling difficult to describe / got a good feeling from being alive /
feeling so lucky to be on this journey that I'm on / life could be perfect, touch wood / I know it sounds funny, I know it sounds strange / but I'm asking you to feel the same

Sheryl Crow:If it makes you happy / It can't be that bad /If it makes you happy / Then why the hell are you so sad.

To me, the first half is equal to utilitarianism. And the second half says beware of imposters. If using the utilitarian calculus isn't giving good results, don't! Of course, Sheryl Crow isn't a global utilitarian. But it can feel that way sometimes.

I'm sure I could find other examples. Not just for utilitarianism, but for other aspects of philosophy too. And in various forms of popular culture too. I wonder if you have any additions!

Save the World is an obvious example, but it deserves to be said. Though I dislike the video: dogs killing or seriously injuring three random criminals is not saving the world.
Weirdly, Cosmic Love always makes me think of a false vacuum decay (The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out). Not really philosophy, unless we're talking about a form of ultimate negative utilitarianism.
Every Teardrop is a Waterfall makes me think of a) avoiding existential risks: don't want to see another generation drop/i'd rather be a comma than a full stop and b) how bad suffering really is (every teardrop is a waterfall), and much suffering you have to be in to release one teardrop (wow, that got heavy fast...)
And a game has to get a mention Love is just a chemical Father, we give it meaning through choice. Bioshock 2, a lovely game, though the antagonist is a Totalitarian Utilitarian.

I like this game. I'm guessing it's just for them unintentionally philosophizing, otherwise I'd throw in a ton more!
ryan's edit: fixed broken link

With regards to the link to totalitarian utilitarian on TV tropes, I think pop culture, as always, can prove to be a 'way in' for people to become interested in philosophy. And, as always, TV tropes has distilled something that I feel strongly about - that lazy directors always rationalise their villain's acts by making them utilitarian - into a readable and hilarious form!

Here's another:

Kid Kudi:I’m On The Pursuit Of Happiness And I Know Everything That Shines Ain’t Always Gonna Be Gold /
I’ll Be Fine Once I Get It / I’ll Be Good.

You Don’t Really Care About The Trials Of Tomorrow/ Rather Lay Awake In A Path Full Of Sorrow
Tell me what you know about dreaming / you don't really know about nothing / tell me what you know about them night terrors every night / 5am cold sweats, waking up to the skies.

i've spent ages in rages writing pages
hoping my anger might become contagious
at the torture of animals That never see outside cages
but the populice don't care as long as they hold onto their wages
but there's no laughter in gold
and no smiles in clothes
im idealistic and realistic and you couldn't stop me with ballistics
and ill always love you all
despite actions which appall
cause if you had a little more information
on the rearing and slaughter of cows
you'd be screaming
we gotta stop this now!

@Ruairi: What song is that? Google shrugs at it.
Also, when we're doing this sort of thing we should be aware of the capacity for politics to create awful art...

This is a fascinating topic. I agree with Gedusa that politics tends to create awful art, at least in the realm of songwriting. Perhaps the only bad song by Morrissey of The Smiths (one of the 20th century's best songwriter/poets) is Meat is Murder. Which is anti-speciesist, but not really utilitarian. Awful stuff from a great artist.

Seems to me that there is something intrinsically emotive about songs, and intrinsically anti-emotive about utilitarianism, that it would be hard to write a good utilitarian song.

Having said that (and speaking of bad art), how about this cheesy 80s hit from Bette Midler? Seems to have a sort of inchoate utilitarianism about it -- ie we should aspire to global utility without regard for the individuals concerned, and that it is up to humans to do so (god is too far away).

FROM A DISTANCE

From a distance the world looks blue and green,
and the snow-capped mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
and the eagle takes to flight.

From a distance, there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace,
it's the voice of every man.

From a distance we all have enough,
and no one is in need.
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,
no hungry mouths to feed.

From a distance we are instruments
marching in a common band.
Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace.
They're the songs of every man.
God is watching us. God is watching us.
God is watching us from a distance.

From a distance you look like my friend,
even though we are at war.
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
what all this fighting is for.

From a distance there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
And it's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves,
it's the heart of every man.

It's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves.
This is the song of every man.
And God is watching us, God is watching us,
God is watching us from a distance.
Oh, God is watching us, God is watching.
God is watching us from a distance

Seems to me that there is something intrinsically emotive about songs, and intrinsically anti-emotive about utilitarianism, that it would be hard to write a good utilitarian song.

Hmm, I'm not sure. I think it's just laziness really: "Oh I don't need to write a decent song because it's for a cause, and everyone will see how wonderful the cause is even if the song is crap".

Good song choice by the way These all seem to be pretty happy songs.

Oh and there's a song that made me almost explode with excitement: Never miss a beat by The Kaiser Chiefs.

What is the Golden Rule
You say nothing

I was like: PRISONER'S DILEMMA!!! And then I realized how unlikely it was that The Kaiser Chiefs were writing about game theory. Again not util specific but hey.

@gedusa: i thought of half of it on my way to work and then i ahd other bits written down and i squished them together for this

i agree on the politics and art absolutely but while on paper i think utilitarian sounds very sombre in practice i think it is being absolutely as loving as possible

you want nothing to suffer because that wouldnt be nice for them, but why do you care?
because you love them

Gedusa wrote:Save the World is an obvious example, but it deserves to be said. Though I dislike the video: dogs killing or seriously injuring three random criminals is not saving the world.

HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS POST!

actually a few posts before mine seem to have just appeared i didnt see before :s

I LOVE THAT SONG! ITS LIKE DANCING AND SAVING THE WORLD AND AND AND AND

turn up the love now

listen up now

turn up the love

The following song is perhaps not inherently utilitarian, but it's at least very positive, and can easily be interpreted in a transhumanist way.

VNV Nation: Perpetual

Find it in you, raise your eyes
look beyond the place you stand
Towards the furthest reaches
and to the smallest of things
The sound you’re hearing
is the symphony of what we are
Revelation will not come
with heart and mind closed and divided

No need of Sun to light the way
Across the ages, we have reigned as we endured
Through the storm fronts we will ever surely pass
To stand as neverending light

Throw away the mantle
Awake from your uncertain hesitation
No way to describe or equate the feeling
No end to what is at your command
A million thoughts run through you,
concentric circles, ever greater
But you have always known
that this is not all that there is
To your questions there’ll be answers

Let there be, let there always be neverending light
Let there be, let there always be neverending light

___
Well, imagine something like a cosmic photonic utilitronium shockwave than entails enlightened and ever progressing uploaded minds. This song could be seen as subtle allusion to (the possibility of) something like that.

RyanCarey wrote:lazy directors always rationalise their villain's acts by making them utilitarian

The only time I can think of a director(/author) doing this in a way that is vaguely supportive of utilitarianism is Watchmen. The rest of the time the plot seems to act as a warning against the dangers of utilitarian thinking.