John Stuart Mill Utilitarianism

In “Utilitarianism,” John Stuart Mill attempts to reconcile the principles of

Utilitarianism with those of religion - specifically Christianity, the dominant

religion in the West at that time. Though Mill himself was a religious skeptic, he

tried to make Utilitarianism more palatable to the general public that held strong

religious conviction. He argues that religious moral thought, even a belief in innate

morality, can coexist with this theory. While I do recognize that religious

individuals can use utilitarian ethics to make decisions, I do not believe that

Utilitarianism and most religions can comfortably coexist as elements of a

society’s moral framework. As someone who grew up in the American South, the

expression of religion with which I am most familiar is

that of “conservative”
Christianity. Because of this, the treatment of religion in this paper is certainly
biased toward this system of beliefs.
Mill argues that individuals can incorporate external sanctions into
Utilitarianism. Some actions are wholly motivated by a fear of punishment from
God.

Others are performed in hope of approval or reward from Him. Mill argues

that if one believes that God is truly good, then God’s main criterion for morality

must also be the general good. However, this is problematic in that religious

interpretation of the general good can differ greatly from the idea of happiness and

unity that Mill presents. For religions like Christianity that hold a belief in an

eternal afterlife, temporary “earthly” pleasures have a much lower value in a

utilitarian calculus than the hope of an unending period of joy. For example, the

Spanish Inquisition tortured and killed many accused heretics to suppress ideas

counter to the tenets of the church. The actions of the Inquisition provoked a

general uneasiness in the public and led to many painful disfigurements and deaths.

To a religious utilitarianist, this may have ultimately promoted the general good in

that “false teachers” were killed or intimidated before they could trick more people

out of their eternal reward. The suffering of these heretics on earth would pale in

comparison to the suffering of their potential followers in the afterlife. To a

utilitarianist who does not believe in the afterlife, this event is horrific

and
certainly doesn’t promote the benefits of utilititarianism for which Mill argues.
From a consequential viewpoint, incorporating religious sanctions is difficult
because many of them cannot be demonstrated. By generalizing utilitarianism to
allow compatibility with religion, Mill lessens the impact of his theory.