The utility from beautiful music for many does not justify
the physical and sexual abuse of a relative few. Even though utilitarianism
goes by the motto, the greatest pleasure (and least pain) for the greatest
number, the severity of the pain to a few can, I submit, outweigh a more
widespread, yet relatively superficial, pleasure for others. Surely the
intensity of pleasure and pain must enter into the ethical calculus. I have in
mind here the Regensburg Domspatzen, a Roman Catholic boys choir, in the E.U.
state of Germany. This case points to the default power of established
institutions and a religious psychology.
The full essay is at "The Regensburg Domspatzen."
