Utilitarian Philosophy
Contents
Utilitarian Philosophy
A form of consequentialism [6], utilitarian philosophy is a moral theory that focuses on the result of an action to determine if an action is morally right or wrong. In order to discern whether an action is morally right or wrong, you have to discover its maximum utility.
History of Utilitarian Philosophy
"Utilitarianism is one of the most powerful and persuasive approaches to normative ethics in the history of philosophy. Though not fully articulated until the 19th century, proto-utilitarian positions can be discerned throughout the history of ethical theory."
"Though there are many varieties of the view discussed, utilitarianism is generally held to be the view that the morally right action is the action that produces the most good. There are many ways to spell out this general claim. One thing to note is that the theory is a form of consequentialism: the right action is understood entirely in terms of consequences produced. What distinguishes utilitarianism from egoism has to do with the scope of the relevant consequences. On the utilitarian view one ought to maximize the overall good — that is, consider the good of others as well as one's own." [1]
Classical Utilitarians
"The Classical Utilitarians, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, identified the good with pleasure, so, like Epicurus, were hedonists about value. They also held that we ought to maximize the good, that is, bring about ‘the greatest amount of good for the greatest number’." [2] Both were contemporaries of each other and it was the younger Mill whom would be taught by Bentham after he was approached by Mill's father. James Mill, was a very prominent man in his time and it was through the political circles that he befriend Bentham.
Jeremy Bentham
"Jeremy Bentham was an English philosopher and political radical. He is primarily known today for his moral philosophy, especially his principle of utilitarianism, which evaluates actions based upon their consequences. The relevant consequences, in particular, are the overall happiness created for everyone affected by the action. Influenced by many enlightenment thinkers, especially empiricists such as John Locke and David Hume, Bentham developed an ethical theory grounded in a largely empiricist account of human nature. He famously held a hedonistic account of both motivation and value according to which what is fundamentally valuable and what ultimately motivates us is pleasure and pain. Happiness, according to Bentham, is thus a matter of experiencing pleasure and lack of pain." [3]
John Stuart Mill
"John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) profoundly influenced the shape of nineteenth century British thought and political discourse. His substantial corpus of works includes texts in logic, epistemology, economics, social and political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, religion, and current affairs. Among his most well-known and significant are A System of Logic, Principles of Political Economy, On Liberty, Utilitarianism, The Subjection of Women, Three Essays on Religion, and his Autobiography.Mill’s education at the hands of his imposing father, James Mill, fostered both intellectual development (Greek at the age of three, Latin at eight) and a propensity towards reform. James Mill and Jeremy Bentham led the “Philosophic Radicals,” who advocated for rationalization of the law and legal institutions, universal male suffrage, the use of economic theory in political decision-making, and a politics oriented by human happiness rather than natural rights or conservatism. In his twenties, the younger Mill felt the influence of historicism, French social thought, and Romanticism, in the form of thinkers like Coleridge, the St. Simonians, Thomas Carlyle, Goethe, and Wordsworth. This led him to begin searching for a new philosophic radicalism that would be more sensitive to the limits on reform imposed by culture and history and would emphasize the cultivation of our humanity, including the cultivation of dispositions of feeling and imagination (something he thought had been lacking in his own education)." [4]
Ethical Issues
The Trolley Problem
This is the perfect example of our moral theory. As it is commonly referred to The Trolley problem is a theoretical quandary where you are in a position to prevent a tragedy, but you have to decided between allowing this runaway trolley hit one or five people. Since you are near a lever, which can alter the path of the aforementioned trolley, you can either do so so that it only hits one person on the track or the five people. [5]
So what do you do? This is where utilitarian philosophy can be applied. Having learned that the morally right action is to do what benefits the greater good, then surely switching the lever to alter its course towards the poor, lone soul is what you ought to do, right? Well, herein lies the issue with utilitarian philosophy? How can we measure the happiness of this individual and why does the happiness of five people outweigh one? How can we quantify a measure that is arguably very subjective? If we knew more about each individual and what they could possibly do in this world, does that make us vulnerable to any biases we may have?
I believe this is core issue with utilitarian philosophy, because it allows us to solve theoretical issues like this, but can this actually be applied in a real-world case?
