The theory behind utilitarianism is that one’s actions are right if it promotes felicity or pleasance and incorrect if it does non advance felicity or pleasance. The chief point to this theory is the rule of public-service corporation that states “according to which actions should be chosen that conveying about the greatest sum of felicity for the greatest figure of people. ” ( Palmer ) Jeremy Bentham gave basically utilitarianism its name and brought more attending to it than those before him.
Bentham came up with a usher named the concretion of felicitousness that included seven classs for taking among different possible activities to advance one’s felicity or pleasances. John Stuart Mills. besides an useful. added to Bentham’s concretion because he did non to the full hold with everything it stood for. Bernard Williams argued that utilitarianism is non a good moral theory and that it violates moral unity. In this paper I will explicate Bentham’s concretion of felicitousness. Mill’s add-on to the concretion. and Williams’ ideas against utilitarianism.
The first class of the concretion of felicitousness is strength which asked how intense are the pleasances likely to be. The 2nd is continuance. Duration refers to the inquiry of how long the pleasances are to last. The 3rd is certainty. The inquiry of certainty is how certain are the pleasances. The 4th is proximity which refers to how shortly will the pleasances be available. Number five on the concretion is fruitfulness. Fecundity wants one to believe about how many more pleasances will follow in their aftermath. Number six is pureness.
Purity wants one to oppugn how free from hurting are the pleasances. Last. figure seven is extent. Extent inquiries how many people will have pleasance and be affected by your Acts of the Apostless. Mills understood Bentham’s theory to be quantitative with a numerical analysis. Mills preferred to believe of utilitarianism as a qualitative analysis. Mills believed in different types of pleasances. Pleasures of the organic structure and pleasances of the head. Mills considered the quantitative analysis to carry through the “lower” desires. or the basic human desires. The “higher” desires are the 1s covering with quality.
Mills’ theory suggests that the lower quality pleasances are those of the organic structure and the pleasances of the head are the higher quality pleasances. Mills thought higher of the pleasances of mind than that of delighting our organic structures. An illustration of this is giving person a pick of holding the monetary value of beer reduced or go on paying to maintain instructions of Shakespeare in schools. I believe Mills’ concern was that some people would most likely choose taking a monetary value decrease in beer over Shakespeare. This would non be Mills’ pick and he would believe this as worlds fulfilling his or her lower quality pleasances.
Williams believes that utilitarianism determinations are non based on any sort of moral land and looks out for one’s ego involvement merely. Williams believes in a deeper significance to things based on ethical motives for non merely oneself but of others besides. Williams gives a narrative in his authorship of a adult male named George. George has been offered a occupation in a research lab in which the research is in chemical and biological warfare. George refuses the occupation because he is opposed to biological nd chemical warfare. The adult male offering the occupation doesn’t understand George’s determination because George has a married woman and childs at place to back up.
The utilitarianist would hold that George should take the occupation. I believe Williams’ job with this is the bigger image that George is opposed to what the company stands for and the research he would be making could finally impact a whole state. As Williams provinces in his authorship. “A characteristic of utilitarianism is that it cuts out a sort of consideration which for some others makes a difference to what they feel about such instances: a consideration affecting the thought. as we might foremost and really merely set it. that each of us is specially responsible for what he does. instead than for what other people do. ( Williams ) Integrity is compromised in the utilitarianism pick because it does non stand on a deep moral ideal. The pick to take the occupation would destruct George’s unity by keeping him responsible for something that he does non make about his opposing feelings and endangering the thought of his boundaries. I can appreciate the positions of Bentham. Mills and Williams theories. but I personally agree with Williams’ concepts the most.
I agree with Williams that we as worlds should take the whole state of affairs. who it involves presently. and who it will potentially impact in the hereafter. We should non merely seek self pleasance. To dissect how much pleasance. for how long. and so on does non take into consideration the factor of long term effects. As for Mills’ decision that rational pleasance is best. that is merely his sentiment on spread outing the head. It does non give replies to mundane quandary.
