Strengthes And Weaknesses Of Utilitarianism By John Stuart Mils

Utilitarianism Many people agree on the fact that society needs to act with a sense of morality. However, there are differing opinions on how to go about this. One popular idea is that a person should always consider the greater good of society in order to be moral. This moral principle is known as utilitarianism. The end result of this theory is happiness for all, which appeals to many people, since happiness is typically a goal everyone can agree to strive towards. The following examines the approach of utilitarianism from the perspective of John Stuart Mils, as well as looks its strengths and weakness’s through a thought argument, to demonstrate how this is played out in society. One of the most famous advocates for utilitarianism was

First, this principle only looks at the end consequences of a decision “If actions are judged by their consequences, then decisions about the goodness of our actions are dependent on knowing something that is still future” (Wilkens, 2011: p 106). If the climbers cut the rope, it would be implied that they believed they were going to die before they were rescued. However, what if they are rescued before the rope breaks and all seven had the opportunity to be saved? If the climbers did not cut the rope and chose to wait for rescuers this would be termed morally wrong as the principle of utility is being ignored, but who is to say that punishment is worse than the other alternative “the analysis of moral wrongness in terms of the appropriateness of punishment is incompatible with act-utilitarianism because not every failure to maximize utility is appropriately punished” (Turner, 2015: p 166). The different people on the line may have conflicting opinions on which decision they support. Of course the people on the bottom would probably like to wait to see if they are saved, where as, the people at the top may want to ensure their safety by cutting the rope “It has, for example, no regard for distributional concerns unless everyone has the same utility function” (Balasubramanian, 2015: p745). These all show inadequacies in using the utilitarian approach to determine the morally correct decision in this situation. There are some positives to this approach as well. Most people would not debate choosing what makes someone the happiest “One reason utilitarianism looks so plausible is that it links doing good and happiness” (Wilkens, 2011: p 105) Another aspect is that by looking for the greater good for the greater number, ensures happiness among the largest amounts of people. This brings about community and fellowship for people to function together in a