PHIL 2306W

Utilitarianism SPRING 2013

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 Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism gets its name from its

guiding principle: the principle of utility.

The principle of utility (as defined by

Bentham, Vaughn, p. 89):
that principle which approves or
disapproves of every action whatsoever,
according to the tendency which it
appears to have to augment or diminish
the happiness of the party whose
interest is in question.
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 Utilitarianism

The Greatest Happiness Principle (GHP):

We ought to do that which produces the
greatest amount of pleasure or pleasure for
the greatest number of people.

Mills definition of the GHP: the GHP holds

that actions are right in proportion as they
tend to promote happiness, and wrong as
they tend to produce the reverse of
happiness (Vaughn, p. 89).

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 The Relation Between the
Principle of Utility and GHP

The GHP specifies the principle of utility

to mean that the happiness for the
majority is to be satisfied.

The GHP is in direct contrast to ethical

egoism which advocates you promote
your happiness (the happiness of others
should be promoted only as a means to
your happiness).

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Pleasure/Happiness: An Intrinsic Good

Pleasure/happiness is an intrinsic good or

an intrinsic value.

This means that pleasure/happiness is the

ultimate end for which we should aim to
achieve.

Pleasure/happiness is intrinsically
valuablethat is, valuable for its own sake.
(E.g., happiness is good in and of itself)
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 The Utilitarian Calculus

Determining the right thing to do

amounts to figuring out which option
produces the greatest amount of
pleasure/happiness.

Some examples of the utilitarian

calculus follow.
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 The Utilitarian Calculus

Example 1 (MacKinnon, p. 55):

Act A makes me happy and two
other people happy.
Act B makes me unhappy but five
others happy.

Act B is the morally better choice.

Act B is the morally right choice.

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 The Utilitarian Calculus

Net utility is what is being calculated.

Net utility = Units of pleasure (utility) minus units
of pain (disutility)
Example 2 (MacKinnon, p. 55):
Act A produces 12 units of happiness and 6
units of unhappiness (12-6 = 6 net units of
happiness)
Act B produces 10 units of happiness and one
of unhappiness (10-1 = 9 net units of
happiness)
Act B is the morally better act & the morally
right act.
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 The Utilitarian Calculus

Intensity Example (MacKinnon, p. 55):

Act A gives 40 people each mild pleasure
(40 x 2 = 80 degrees of pleasure)
Act B gives ten people each intense
pleasure
(10 x 10 = 100 degrees of pleasure)
Act B is morally better than Act A and the
morally right action because Act B
produces more utility, though for less
people.

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 The Utilitarian Calculus

The Duration Example (MacKinnon, p. 55):

Act A gives 3 people each 8 days of happiness
(3 x 8 = 24 days of happiness)
Act B gives 6 people each 2 days of happiness
(6 x 2 = 12 days of happiness)

Act A is the morally better option and the morally

right action because the utility produced is higher.

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 The Utilitarian Calculus

Fruitfulness criterion (MacKinnon, p.

56): select the action that has the ability
of making us capable of experiencing
additional pleasures, whether these
pleasures are similar or distinct from the
pleasure experienced by the initial action.

Example: regular practice of yoga is good if

it brings pleasure, plus makes us capable of
experiencing similar pleasure on other
occasions of yoga.

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 The Utilitarian Calculus

Likelihood criterion: select the action

that has the greater likeliness of
producing utility.
Act A has a 90% chance of giving 8 people
each 5 days of pleasure.
(40 days x .90) = 36 days of pleasure
Act B has a 40% chance of giving 10
people each 7 days of pleasure.
(70 days x .40) = 28 days of pleasure
Act A is morally better than Act B.
Act A is the act one ought to pursue.

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 Distinguishing Kinds of Pleasure

Bentham: the original version of

Utilitarianism. What matters is the amount
of pleasure produced. Aim for quantity.
Mill: Student of Bentham. Claimed that
quantity of pleasure is relevant, but quality
of pleasure is also morally important.
Higher pleasures (intellectual
pleasures) vs. lower pleasures (bodily
pleasures). We should aim to promote
the higher pleasures.
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Different Versions of Utilitarianism

Classical Versions
1. Act Utilitarianism
2. Rule Utilitarianism

Contemporary Versions
1. Preference Utilitarianism
2. Cost-Benefit Analysis

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 Act Utilitarianism

Act Utilitarianism: Fulfill the GHP and the

principle of utility by figuring out which
individual action produces the most utility.

Problem with Act Utilitarianism: can

morally require that we do actions that
commonsense morality might tell us are
morally abhorrent, or at least problematic.
The ends justify the means!

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 Rule Utilitarianism

Rule Utilitarianism
the morally right action is not the one
that directly brings about the greatest
good but the one covered by a rule
that, if followed consistently, produces
the greatest good for all. In act
utilitarianism, we must examine each
action to see how much good (or evil) it
generates. Rule-utilitarianism would
have us first determine what rule an
action falls under, then see if that rule
would likely maximize utility if everyone
followed it (Vaughn, p. 87).
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PROBLEMS WITH RULE UTILITARIANISM

Though rules do not have to be absolute and can

have exceptions, the more exceptions you make to
a rule, it is no longer a rule.

And then we are back to deciding the morality of

actions at the level of individual actions themselves
(i.e. Act utilitarianism).

If Rule Utilitarianism does collapse into Act

Utilitarianism, the Rule Utilitarianism has the same
problems Act Utilitarianism has.
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 Preference Utilitarianism

Preference Utilitarianism : the morally

right action is the action that satisfies the
greatest number of preferences.
(MacKinnon, p. 60)

Only the preferences of rational persons are

the ones that ought to be satisfied. Not just
any preference counts.

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 Cost-Benefit Analysis

Cost-benefit analysis: one policy is

better than another if it is the least
costly compared with the benefits
expected (MacKinnon, p. 61).
Minimize cost, maximize benefit. If all
have the same benefit, go with the
policy that has the least amount of
harm.
Problems with the Cost-Benefit Analysis Version:
Some benefits/costs are intangible, or if not intangible, difficult to
put a price onsuch as the value of a life.
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 General Problems with
Any Version of Utilitarianism

The calculus is too complicated, and takes too much time.

By the time we arrive at the right judgment, we may be
too late to act. Plus, even if we are not too late to act,
given the same facts, two reasonable people can disagree
with which course of action fulfills the principle of utility and
the GHP.

The Personal Integrity Problem

Impartiality is required.
Saving your son vs. saving a strangerthe only thing that
matters is utilityso, if it produces more utility to save a
stranger, you are morally required to save the stranger.

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 References

Other page number references are from: Barbara

MacKinnon, Ethics: Theory and Contemporary
Issues, 6th ed., Wadsworth, 2009.

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