19th Century Utilitarianism, Chapter 12

Bentham and John Stuart Mill

Who was John Stuart Mill?

An empiricist that proposed utilitarianism for the betterment of society and that championed many social reforms including personal liberty, freedom of expression, aid for the poor, abolition, prison reform, and women’s rights

What events in Mill’s life contributed to his beliefs?

A mental breakdown at 20 caused his departure from some of Bentham’s views on utilitarianism and his marriage to feminist Harriet Taylor influenced his views of women’s rights

What main theory guides utilitarianism?

The principle of utility → morality is judged by a single standard in which rights actions are those that result in greater overall well-being (utility) for all people involved

What are the two types of utilitarianism?

Act and rule utilitarianism

What is act-utilitarianism?

The view that the rightness of actions depends solely on the overall well-being produced by that individual action in the situation

What is rule-utilitarianism?

The view that the rightness of actions is determined by a set of rules that, if followed consistently, create the most beneficial balance of well-being over suffering for all

What is classic utilitarianism?

Proposed by Jeremy Bentham, a hedonistic theory dictating that the utility to be maximised is pleasure, seen as the only intrinsic good

How did Bentham view happiness?

He saw it as a one-dimensional concept only varying in its amount

How did Mill view happiness?

He saw it as varying in quality and quantity, with some forms of pleasure being higher than others → ‘it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; it is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied’

What is a main aspect of utilitarianism?

Impartiality → utilitarianism is only concerned with the net-happiness experienced, not how it is rationed among people

What is the main critique of utilitarianism?

The theory conflicts with considered moral judgements, judgements that are made with careful deliberation and are free of bias → theories contradicting these judgements should be seen as flawed, perhaps fatally so

How do utilitarians respond to critique?

They say that circumstances in which utilitarianism contradicts moral judgements are few, though they do acknowledge their existence