Calling this “critical level utilitarianism” opens you to concerns raised by Ryan (which I share) and doesn’t seem to buy you anything.
Just say that $300 is the point at which life is worth living (i.e. that’s the point at which utility is zero). Then you don’t run into weird crap like “someone making $200 per year has a life that’s worth living for them, but makes society a worse place.”
(I would call this point the “neutral level” if you’re looking for terminology.)
Calling this “critical level utilitarianism” opens you to concerns raised by Ryan (which I share) and doesn’t seem to buy you anything.
Just say that $300 is the point at which life is worth living (i.e. that’s the point at which utility is zero). Then you don’t run into weird crap like “someone making $200 per year has a life that’s worth living for them, but makes society a worse place.”
(I would call this point the “neutral level” if you’re looking for terminology.)