In its simplest definition utilitarianism argues that the ethical action, which should be taken in a particular social moral context, is to take that action which will produce the greatest good for the greatest number of individuals. Two individuals are important for the theory of utilitarianism: Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832): Bentham was a British philosopher of ethics and political theory. He was born in London, and entered Queens College, Oxford at the age of 12 and after graduation entered Lincoln's Inn to study law. He was admitted to the bar in 1767 but never practice. He spent his life writing, advocating changes along utilitarian lines of the whole legal system, especially in the area of criminal law. He argued that people should do what produces pleasure.
Bentham proposed that the only good that exists is pleasure while the only evil that exists is pain. He considered a number of elements in calculating pleasure. For example, he proposed that, in the calculation of pleasure, consideration should be given to things such as intensity, duration, certainty, quickness, how many other pleasures are produced, freedom from pain and the number of people affected. In addition he argued that every individual's happiness regardless of how mundane or qualitatively inferior should be given equal weight. This is true, according to Bentham, since democracy allows standard to fall to the lowest common denominator.
Objections to Bentham:
1) It is not true that pleasure and pain dictate all human behavior.
2) How does one make hedonistic calculations? Is there a standard that all can agree upon?
3) What about the qualities of pleasures?
4) The calculation surely must not be aimed at the greatest absolute happiness, but the greatest average happiness. Otherwise, the minority's rights and happiness or pleasure might be ignored.
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) Mill was a British empiricist philosopher and utilitarian social reformer. He was greatly influenced by the work of Jeremy Bentham and he advocated social reformed based upon the utilitarianism of Bentham. Mill however argued that in the consideration and calculation of pleasure one should not only consider the quantity of pleasure, but also the quality of pleasure since some pleasures are more preferable than others. While lower pleasures are more immediate and intense in many instances these are not as valuable as the higher pleasures. The quality of pleasures is determined y those who are familiar with both and who prefer one to the other, regardless of any feeling of moral obligation. What makes one pleasure more desirable is that it is in fact more desired by "competent judges of cultivation". Mill argued based upon this conclusion that "it is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied."
Objections to Mill
1) The theory sounds elitist.
2) If some pleasures should not be encouraged not all pleasures are therefore good.
3) If some pleasures re more valuable than others, there must be a criterion for such a determination, which is pleasurable only indirectly.
