John Mills Utilitarianism

First Response: Utilitarianism I define utilitarianism as a moral philosophy, which justifies an action if the good done by the action outweighs the consequences of the action, in short saying the end justifies the means. Mills writes “in an improving state of the human mind, the influences are constantly on the increase which tend to generate in each individual a feeling of unity with all the rest; which, if perfect, would make him never think of or desire, any beneficial condition for himself in the benefits of which they are not included” (Mills, pp. 33). According to Mills, in an ideal world, no one would ever think about himself or herself; but would instead look to what benefits society the most, and in turn, society as a whole will be significantly better off. The idea of a selfless society sounds great initially, however upon deeper evaluation I realized that his theory is flawed, and is actually impossible to ever happen.

If not every person follows this moral code, then there will always be others who will criticize, and potentially punish, the immoral actions taken in order to achieve the greater good. As an example, using the doctor and patients example where a doctor can kill a healthy patient in order to save the lives of four other sick patients, in a completely utilitarian society this would be seen as an acceptable thing to do; however in the real world this is not the case, and all of us who are not utilitarian will criticize the doctor, and he will face punishment for his action. The idea of a selfless society is a wholly unrealistic standard. A perfect society will never be achieved as humans are innately flawed. The notion of selflessness cannot be forced upon individuals, as selfishness and the need to look out for yourself and your loves ones is a natural instinct of humans that we are born