Utilitarianism the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Utilitarianism Utilitarianism: the idea that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its usefulness in maximizing utility and minimizing negative utility as summed among all sentient beings “The idea of utilitarianism is simple: the fundamental guidelines for moral discourse are pleasure and pain.” “Utilitarianism’s foundation consists largely of the simple assertion that happiness, all other things being equal, is better than unhappiness.” “Boundless empathy is what utilitarianism is.”

Act and Rule Utilitarianism Rule Utilitarianism: States that actions are moral when they conform to the rules that lead to the greatest good The correctness of a rule is determined by the amount of good it brings about when followed Act Utilitarianism: States that the right action is the one which produces the greatest amount of happiness or pleasure for the greatest number of beings. Actions are judged in terms of the goodness of their consequences without reference to rules of action

John Stuart Mill Utilitarianism (book) “greatest-happiness principle” - one must always act so as to produce the greatest aggregate happiness among all sentient beings, within reason It is not the agent’s own greatest happiness that matters “but the greatest amount of happiness altogether.” Mill believes that utility is human nature Every human being desires happiness because every thing a human being desires is desired for its pleasure

John Stuart Mill Separation of pleasures Argues that intellectual and moral pleasures are superior to more physical forms of pleasure Defines the difference between higher and lower forms of happiness with the principle that those who have experienced both tend to prefer one over the other. “simple pleasures” tend to be preferred by people who have no experience with high art, and are therefore not in a proper position to judge

Bernard Williams Against utilitarianism There is a crucial moral distinction between a person being killed by me, and being killed by someone else because of an act or omission of mine. The utilitarian loses that vital distinction, turning us into empty vessels by means of which consequences occur, rather than preserving our status as moral actors and decision-makers. Argued that moral decisions must preserve our psychological identity and integrity.

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