The Extent to Which Utilitarianism is Considered Inadequate as a Means of Solving Moral Dilemmas

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The Extent to Which Utilitarianism is Considered Inadequate as a Means of Solving Moral Dilemmas

Jeremy Bentham who first popularised utilitarianism theorised that it

was a principle that supported the majority’s happiness. After

arriving at this, he decided to introduce the hedonic principle to

measure the quantity of pleasure. This however still left many

questions unanswered and so his disciple J.S.Mill came about a

qualitative theory. Though an amendment has been made, there still

lies the following criticism.

The first major inadequacy is the fact is that it leads to an end

justifies the means mentality. The hedonic calculus implied this

mentality in that it based its conditions on the outcome of actions,

which it assumed to be good. These actions however might have a bad

outcome. For example, the Germans voted for Adolph Hitler because they

thought it will do them good, but if it were so, then Hitler could

justify the Holocaust because the end was to purify the human race or

Stalin could justify his slaughter of millions because he was trying

to achieve a communist utopia.

Secondly, is the fact that J.S.Mill put the decision of considering

whether an action is good or bad in the hands of those he termed

competent judges. These were those who were intellectually capable

experiencing lower and higher pleasures of the mind. He believed that

this competent judge would have chosen the higher pleasures. This may

be of his own opinion because he was an upper class, highly respected,

intelligent, Victorian gentleman and practised a lot of social

differentiation, which may have been of great influence in his

principle. In his times, some actions might have been considered of

higher pleasure to those so-called competent judges and might have

been morally wrong. For example, public execution, which was

absolutely acceptable in those years but truly barbaric.

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