PHIL106 Week03_03_default

Problems with Utilitarianism

1. Constant Calculation of Utility

• Concern: The idea that individuals calculate utility (pleasures and pains) for every action leads to psychological viability issues.

  • Is it viable to constantly perform such calculations?

  • This could potentially lead to unhappiness.

• Implication: If everyone calculates happiness all the time, it might ironically produce a less happy world.

2. Utilitarian Response to Constant Calculation

• Clarification: Utilitarianism does not insist on continuous calculations.

  • Focuses on the actions and their consequences, not the thought processes behind them.

  • Example: Janet calculates utility concerning shoplifting, while Brad considers ethical commandments—both may refrain from stealing, but their motivations are irrelevant to the moral evaluation of their actions.

3. Unpredictability of the Future

• Concern: Utilitarianism requires knowledge of future consequences for optimal decision-making.

  • Humans cannot predict all outcomes, leading to complications in moral evaluation.

• Examples:

  • Janet's Scenario: Saves a drowning child (young Hitler), leading to future atrocities unknowable at the time.

  • Brad's Scenario: Pushes an annoying child (young Stalin) into a river, inadvertently saving millions from suffering later on.

4. Distinction Between Right Actions and Moral Evaluation

• Utilitarian Philosophy: Right and wrong actions can be separated from praiseworthy and blameworthy evaluations.

  • An action might be right, but the agent might still be blameworthy (and vice versa).

• Case Analyses:

  • Janet's Action: Although she did a morally wrong act (saving Hitler), she is not blameworthy since she couldn't foresee future consequences. Therefore, she should be praised for her intention.

  • Brad's Action: Killing the annoying child (Stalin) is morally right by utilitarian standards but blameworthy given his poor motivation for the action.

5. Utilitarian Conclusion on Praise and Blame

• Evaluation of actions focuses solely on outcomes regarding happiness and suffering but does not consider individual motivations.

  • Utilitarianism prescribes that praise and blame should be assigned in ways that produce the most happiness, regardless of whether the motivations were noble or base.

• Key Point: The focus is on the consequences of actions rather than the thoughts behind them—this distinction helps to address some common criticisms of utilitarianism.

6. Future Lectures

• Anticipation of discussion on differences between Bentham and Mill in subsequent lectures.