JS Mill + act/ rule utilitarianism

JS MIll

• child prodigy, learnt greek at three so he could read his father’s philosophy books

• father was a follower of Bentham and the young Mill was heavily influenced by Bentham’s social reform policy

• linked to the beginnings of modern feminism

bentham’s social reform policy

• involved in making prisons more humane places

• campaigned for greater democracy and for free education

• concerned about working conditions and wanted guaranteed employment, a minimum wage, sickness benefit and old age insurance.

• helped to bring about laws on children working in factories and a Public Health Act.

mills adjustments to benthams theory

• The well being of the individual is of the greatest importance and is most effectively gained when individuals are free to pursue their own ends.

• If the greatest good for the greatest number is purely quantitative what would stop one person from being extinguished by the majority

• Mill was aware that utilitarianism was being criticised for promoting desire and that it lowered human nature to the level of swine and introduced idea of quality over quantity

quality over quantity

• He adjusted Bentham’s theory by offering a new system which distinguishes between higher and lower pleasures

• In his mind, Higher pleasures are qualitatively better and more important that lower pleasures

• Some pleasures are simply better than others

• He argued that Higher pleasures should be considered better, even if we find ourselves unhappy because we have forgone quantity.

higher vs lower pleasures quote

it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied

result of emphasis on higher pleasure

cannot calculate general happiness according to the hedonic calculus. Instead, Mill suggests that we should adopt the position of being an impartial judge who is acquainted with both types of event.

universability

• idea that everyone should aim for the happiness of all, not just themselves.

• the best overall rules are deemed to be those which, when pursued by the community as a whole, lead to the most happiness.

• one important feature is that in any particular sitch the relevant rule must be obeyed even if it does not result in the greatest pleasure for oneself e.g. not bumping the tube bc a good public transport system depends on everyone adhering to the rule abt paying the fare.

harm principle

• mill was also more sensitive to minorities (who do not have protection under bentham’s system)

• everyone should be able to do anything they want as long as no-one is physically harmed as a result

weaknesses

• elitist

• More people tend to follow lower pleasures than higher pleasures. Is this really the greatest happiness for the greatest number?

• If one must decide the probable outcome of an act before knowing whether it is good or bad, how can children learn to evaluate acts, since they know so little of what consequences might arise from their actions?

• can be a rejection of gods commandments (e.g stealing could lead to incr of happiness but against commandments)

“Godless theory” criticism

• What is the nature of God?

• Does God make arbitrary rules just to see if we will obey?

• Does God make rules that He knows will lead to our happiness?

• If the latter statement is true, doesn’t it make sense God would want us to use our God-given reason to look at the situation?

mills answer to the godless theory criticism

if it is true that god desires, above all, the happiness of his creatures, utility is v religious and

“whatever God has thought fit to reveal on the subject of morals bust fulfil the requirements of utility in a supreme degree”

act utilitarianism

• This maintains that whenever possible the principle of utility should be directly applied for each individual circumstance.

• When faced with a moral choice a person must decide what action will lead to the greatest good in a particular circumstance.

• If lying will produce the greatest pleasure they should lie.

• If in the next situation telling the truth will produce the greatest pleasure then they should tell the truth

• an action is judged by the utility it produces. The more utility it produces the more moral the action.

rule utilitarianism

• As well as using Act utilitarianism, Mill posited another form. Rule Utilitarianism.

• Rule utilitarianism focuses on general RULES that everybody should follow to bring about the greatest good for that community.

• We should vote on the best possible result for the whole community which produces the most happiness and that should become a rule for society to live by.

• It creates RULES

• A rule is judged by the utility it produces. The more utility it produces the more moral the rule

rule utilitarianism on lying

A person should never lie because it doesn’t bring about the greatest good for the community.

how does rule utilitarianism accommodate consequentialist ideas?

• Rule utilitarianism instead of focusing on the consequences of actions focuses on the consequences of rules.

• A rule is good if its consequences result in overall happiness. 

strengths of rule utilitarianism

• Democratic – it involves the whole community.

• It could increase the benefits of the minority as they will be given their chance to vote on the rulings.

• Rules could be absolute for a period and change according to societal need.

weaknesses of rule utilitarianism

• No guarantee that the minority will be protected. A rule that benefits the majority and is agreed upon could still potentially enslave a minority.

• R M HARE – would say it is inflexible – a maniac is chasing someone into a shop. The maniac asks the shopkeeper who following rule utilitarianism would be unable to lie…. hands him over.

• Trying to have its cake and eat it. You cannot have the benefits of absolutism and still maintain the benefits of relativism.

strong rule utilitarianism

• form where principles are stuck to w/o exceptions

• no flexibility allowed

• richard brandt supports this approach

• an individual is not permitted to break a rule in any circumstance, provided that if everyone were to follow it, utility would be maximised

criticisms of strong rule utilitarianism

• criticised by JJC Smart, who argues that utilitarianism gets transformed into unquestioning ‘superstitious rule worship’ when it takes on this form → argues that ACT utilitarianism is actually a demanding, radical form of moral decision-making precisely bc it sometimes allows for these rules to be broken (e.g. an innocent person getting killed to save five people)

• criticsied bc it insists that an individual should follow the rules even when no-one else does, and this would make that person vulnerable to being taken advantage of

• e.g someone who doesn’t steal could easily be exploited if living in a society full of liars and theives.

• so if the rules that are theoretically meant to be followed by rational persons are not adhered to by real, actual persons, then theres not much point

strengths of mills utilitarianism

• The utilitarian tendency to justify any action is severely limited. The concept of higher and lower pleasures eliminate any of these negative side effects.

• till takes into account the situation but also maximises the importance of the individual.

• expresses wholly the Christian teaching of loving your neighbour as yourself.

• community centred

compatibility w christianity

• in the golden rule of Jesus we read the complete spirit of the ethics of utility. 

• To do as you would be done by’ and ‘to love your neighbour as yourself’

• This constitutes the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality.