Problems With Utilitarianism Essay

Problems with Utilitarianism

Many have different views when it comes to defining morality and the ways in which a person can achieve morality. The three different views that we have discussed in class are the utilitarianism of John Stuart Mill, the non-consequentialism of Immanuel Kant, and the virtue-based ethics of Aristotle. Out of these three, the view of morality that I disagree with most is Mill’s utilitarianism for various reasons. I believe that the other two views have their flaws, but Mill’s view is by far the most flawed. His arguments that supports his view with should be disregarded and I cannot fathom why any person would support how he looks at morality.

One thing that we discussed in class while learning of counter arguments to utilitarianism was that this theory calls us to live like swine. In order to understand this counter, this theory needs to be defined. Utilitarianism was not just a theory that John Stuart Mill believed in, but also a book that he wrote in order to define the ways in which people can live a moral life. His theory claims that the actions of a person are right if they are useful or they benefit the majority of people. The wrongness of an action is determined by the opposite, which is the quantity and

One of these counters to my arguments would be bringing up the units that they use in order to determine the amount of happiness that an action can produce. Their units of happiness that are produced are measured in utils. These utils help them to justify their actions if the amount of utils produced happens enough to mean that happiness has been achieved. Another counter they would have to my arguments would be saying that if the majority of people affected by an action are satisfied, then the action can be considered right. The majority being pleased must mean that the action has some good in