It is useful. Robert Owen said man cannot be a proper subject for praise and blame. If he was right then of course that has implications.
Isn't it suspicious if you used to use a desert argument ("we pay this guy because he chose to work hard and so deserves it"), then you move to a utility argument ("we pay this guy because paying people like him more leads to good for all of us"), and miraculously the right payment works out to exactly the same?
Isn't it suspicious if you used to use a desert argument ("we pay this guy because he chose to work hard and so deserves it"), then you move to a utility argument ("we pay this guy because paying people like him more leads to good for all of us"), and miraculously the right payment works out to exactly the same?