mill + rule utilitarianism

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 

mill’s adjustments to bentham’s 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 

qualitative hedonism

• 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. 

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

• 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 priniciple

• 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 

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.

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

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

• 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. 

STRENGTH: moral + cultural sophistication

• Mill avoids the reductive simplicity of Bentham’s hedonism, which treats all pleasures as quantitatively equal.

• By valuing intellectual and moral pleasures more highly, he provides an ethical theory that aligns with modern intuitions about education, art, and virtue.

• prevents utilitarianism from collapsing into hedonism

WEAKNESS: moore

• In Principia Ethica (1903), Moore criticizes Mill for conflating pleasure with the good. This is known as the naturalistic fallacy: defining "good" in terms of a natural property like "pleasure."

• Moore argues that goodness is non-natural and cannot be equated with any empirical property, including pleasure. For Moore, things like beauty, love, or knowledge may be intrinsically good even if they do not maximize pleasure.

WEAKNESS: hare’s criticism

• argues that rule utilitarianism collapses into ‘rule worship’ →irrational following of a rule even when breaking it would clearly produce more utility

• when a rule conflicts with utility in a specific case, it is irrational to prioritise the rule over the outcome

• Suppose a rule forbids lying. In a specific case, lying might save a life. Rule utilitarianism forbids it; Hare says this is irrational and morally indefensible.

• He highlights moral intuitions where rules must give way to context-sensitive judgment.

• This undermines the claim that rule utilitarianism is a reliable moral guide in all scenarios.

COUNTER to hare

• however, mill holds the principle of weak rule utilitarianism

• WRU suggests that while adhering to moral rules generally promotes the greatest happiness, those rules can be broken in specific circumstances where breaking them would lead to a greater overall outcome of happiness

• most rule utilitarians conced that rules must allow for exceptions

COUNTER to moral sophistication

could be argued that mill’s distinguishing between levels of pleasure is elitist and filled with snobbery