Measuring utils

-

 Utilitarianism is often criticized on the grounds that "utils" are immeasurable and are judged entirely subjectively, making it basically useless as a practical tool when making conclusions about decisions. I decided some time ago that utils could be effective if we found a common ground to make utils relative. I believe the key to this is to compare the util value of an individual year of life when compared to the perceived average util level. In other words.. If I asked, "How many utils would you decrease from your average util level in order to live for one more year?" The answer wouldn't matter. What would matter, is that no matter the amount of utils, we would consider it equivalent to 1 "mutil" (measured util). That way, everyone could relate the ratio of average satisfaction in life to the added satisfaction of its continued presence, resulting in a much more accurate comparison of perceived satisfaction. So, 5 "mutils" would be the equivalent of the amount of average perceived satisfaction you would give up in order to live for an extra 5 years. (Presumably, not very much). It works like this:

Isaac is somewhat upset that his parents are getting a divorce. On a particular day, he tells his friend that he is feeling a decrease of 30 mutils. This is to say that he would need to live an extra 30 years at his average perceived satisfaction level (before the decrease) in order to endure the sadness every day until then. I know it isn't perfect, but it is closer to achieving an understandable way to perceive utils from a second party.