Demar Daley
Ethics PHI 2600
12:30-1:45
Fall
Utilitarianism
The concept of utilitarianism argues that the most moral action is the one that results in
the most pleasure. In which pleasure and happiness are synonymous with one another. While this
idea seems to be one that many individuals would gladly follow, utilitarianism ask us to remove
ourselves from the equation as individuals. Instead it dictates that the moral action is the action
that provides the most pleasure for the largest quantity of sentient beings as possible. While this
concept can indeed lead to some form of personal happiness it derives its true meaning from
trying to create a functioning society, I argue that it falls short of this ideal when put into practice
in its most rigid form as intended by Bentham and Mills.
Bentham suggest that all actions are quantifiable by how much overall happiness is
received as the consequence. In this form all intentions are subtracted from the equation and the
results are scrutinized based on a set of criteria to measure their value along the lines of
hedonistic calculus. each action provides a certain level of intensity, duration, certainty,
propinquity, fecundity, purity, and extent in relation to the pleasure provided and through these
the action is judged to be moral or not. imagine that upon death you are given the option to be
reincarnated, you are given the option of returning to life either as your favorite musician or as
an oyster. as the musician you would live for a regular seventy year period and then die
permanently but as the oyster you would live indefinitely at the bottom of a body of water.
Mathematically the choice would be easy, according to Bentham the utilitarianist should return
as the oyster as the amount of pleasure provided by an infinite life will always out way the
amount of pleasure received by one with a finite end. To Bentham all lives are equal except for
strictly how much pleasure can be experienced within its course.
Mills argued against this strict calculation based method of evaluating choices in the
Demar Daley
Ethics PHI 2600
12:30-1:45
Fall
utilitarian scheme of morality as it does not take into consideration the unquantifiable aspects
that influence decision making. while the immortal life of the oyster would indeed provide more
pleasure long run than that of the finite life of the Rockstar the quality of happiness is so poor
comparatively that no one would choose to return as an oyster. Bentham’s method takes all
categories of evaluation as equal in weight against each other and therefore inflexible in key
situations. mills instead weighed each category differently there by allowing for a more flexible
moral code. This leads to the base line of currently practiced utilitarianism in which the
individual makes decisions on the morality of their actions as if they are giving advice to a group
of strangers. The individual removes any emotional connection they may have to the situation
and makes a choice based on what would be best for the most people involved. A doctor who
adheres to utilitarianism and who has five sick patients four of which are moderately injured and
one of which is severely injured if forced to decide who to prioritize treatment for would focus
their efforts on the four modernly injured patients as it would mean the most amount of people
are experience happiness through recovery .
while this viewpoint leads to situational happiness, I argue that ultimately it leaves
societies unstable and therefore is a poor moral code to follow. utilitarianism provides no true
form of right or wrong actions. each action taken by an individual can be argued right based
purely on which groups happiness is being measured. while my tribe and I have increased our
happiness through and action that same action may prove detrimental to another group of people
whom I have no connection too. Imagine two cities that sit along a single stream both completely
unaware of the other, the first cities has been having issues suppling enough water throughout its
community so it dams the stream in order to increase their supply this in turn fixes their issue
while condemning the community further down the stream to even more severe shortages than
Demar Daley
Ethics PHI 2600
12:30-1:45
Fall
the first community was experiencing in the first place . now was the first community wrong for
damming the stream to help its people. I argue not. and there in lies a key problem with
utilitarianism. Each action must be made as if you are an unconnected ,omnipotent being , but as
mere mortals we lack the omnipotence to truly make the right decisions that would be best for ail
people including those we are unfamiliar with , we can only make decisions based on our own
knowledge and understanding of our environment and therefore can inadvertently harm more
people than we ultimately help .
Utilitarianism also leaves itself open to scrutiny regarding key actions that in other moral
codes are considered inherently evil such as murder. While most moral codes find killing another
sentient being to be wrong in all situations utilitarianism views actions based on their
consequences, if murdering one innocent man will save ten others then the choice is to sacrifice
the innocent man without regard to any personal misgivings. The innocent man has no say in his
fate and society continues with no empathy for what was done to an innocent man as is results in
more saved lives . I argue that a moral system that disregards the individual in favor of the group
creates a lack of diversity that causes the members of the community to restrict their
individuality in order to take part in the most good amongst the masses. agreeing with each other
in order to avoid being the outsider and therefore one of the members of society whose opinions
are disregarded in favor of what is considered the greater good. A society with no consideration
for human emotion like that of the utilitarian model will collapse on itself under the pressure of
perceived persecution by those in charge.