Rule Utilitarianism

Ethical theory - Rule Utilitarianism: John Stuart Mill

Utilitarianism - J S Mill: Qualitative approach

• He was an empiricist.

• He had a qualitative approach; claimed that while the quantity of happiness should be measured, this was not enough to fully appraise the happiness created by an act.

• The quality of the happiness that it creates must also be considered.

Utilitarianism - J S Mill: View on pleasure and pain

• He claimed that the fact that happiness is what people desire is evidence that happiness is the first principle on which ethical action should be based.

• He recognised that people come to a deeper understanding of happiness through education and experience.

• Took a view that since people desire it, happiness must be what is good.

• However, he rejected Bentham’s idea that all happiness is the same.

Utilitarianism - Lower pleasures

He distinguished between higher and lower pleasures.

Lower pleasure:

• Important and are considered to be good.

• Sensual or physical pleasures that a person may have in common.

Utilitarianism - Higher pleasures

Higher pleasure:

• Humans have the capacity for intellectual pleasures that animals do not.

• Are of a higher quality and include things such as rational thinking.

• Felt that it was these pleasures that distinguish as from animals.

• Often hard work to achieve them.

• Those who have experienced them will always choose them over lower pleasures because they recognise their higher value and gain much more happiness in life as a result.

• Sometimes contaminated by dissatisfaction and suffering

Utilitarianism - Higher and Lower pleasures

However, he noted that in these cases, someone who has experienced the higher pleasures would not give them up for a lower pleasure, even though there is suffering involved.

• He believed that the best people to choose between pleasures and judge their worth, are those who have experience of both higher and lower pleasures.

Utilitarianism - Higher and Lower pleasures: Quote

“It is better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.”

Utilitarianism - Higher and Lower pleasures

• Happiness is most likely to be achieved when society leaves people alone to purse individual pleasures as they wish.

• However, for society to run effectively, this freedom must be subject to rules that are established for the happiness of society in general.

He was a rule utilitarian; this means that he understood that a morally right action is one that conforms to a pre prepared moral rule that has already been justified by the principle of utility.

Utilitarianism - Weak rule utilitarian

He did not believe that people should stick rigidly to such rules no matter what the situation.

He is characterised as a being a ‘weak rule’ utilitarian.

• This is because he admits that there are times when the rules must be set aside.

He argued that the principle of utility gives society a duty to protect people.

Utilitarianism - what type of theory

Teleological theory - the goal of a law is creating the greatest happiness for the greatest number

Deontological theory - once the principle of utility has been used to establish a law, a moral agent has obligation to obey it.

Utilitarianism - The Harm Principle

States that an individual must be allowed the freedom to pursue pleasure as they wish, unless they will cause harm to others by doing so.

• There is no other reason for interfering.

• Even if a person wishes to perform an action that could cause harm to themselves, it is not acceptable to interfere if they are capable of making such a decision for themselves.

Utilitarianism - The Harm Principle

This freedom enables people to pursue pleasure and therefore, happiness in their own individual ways which always as to develop character as a result.

• That everyone has the right not to be forced into behaving in a certain way is a rule that contributes to human happiness.

• The desires of one member of the community must not be allowed to diminish happiness for others.

• Recognised that rules potentially cause some harm, but overall, any harm is balanced by the benefits.

Utilitarianism - The Harm Principle: example

The principle protects minority groups from restrictions placed on them by the majority, something that could result from the greatest happiness principle.

EG. Enslavement of a minority could be justified using the greatest happiness principle because it brings happiness to the majority.

But, the harm principle protects the interests of the minority so that this cannot happen.

Utilitarianism - The Harm Principle: Exceptions

Gave exceptions to the harm principle

He pointed out that children do need to be protected and so cannot have complete freedom.