Utilitarianism's Definition of Happiness

Utilitarianism defines "good" as "whatever brings about the most happiness for the greatest number of people" (Warburton 45). What could be simpler? In the eyes of many philosophers, however, the simplicity of Utilitarianism belies its fatal flaws. Moreover, critics assert that Utilitarianism's proponents, led by John Stuart Mill, were much too willing to sacrifice values like liberty, justice in punishment, and fairness in the distribution of resources, all in the name of "happiness." This paper will examine those critiques and analyze whether Utilitarian theory can present a valid defense.

Utilitarian theory stresses effects, and thus requires a mathematical-like calculation to decide which path to follow. A utilitarian determines the right course of action by forecasting the consequences of each act, then ascertaining which act will produce the most happiness (defined as pleasure) for the greatest number of people. In the alternative, the utilitarian will choose the act that produces, on balance, more happiness than unhappiness (Warburton 45). According to Jeremy Bentham, a Utilitarian theorist who preceded Mill in the 19th century, we simply compare the number of people who will be made happy by a particular act and the number who will be made unhappy. If the act will please more people than it will displease, then the proposed act is right (Popkin and Stroll 34).

Similarly, in hindsight, a utilitarian ascertains right and wrong by measuring the amount of happin

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emporal, as the war ended and attitudes changed in the succeeding decades. Indeed, some of those who derived happiness from the internment may now feel shame, which adds to the level of unhappiness. The first argument only succeeds if we ascribe so much unhappiness to the internees so as to overwhelm any amount of happiness that the internment generated. To do so, however, immediately transforms the measurement of happiness from objective to subjective. In this situation, is there an objective way to compare the happiness of the racist to the unhappiness of the internee and arrive at a Utilitarian judgment as to whether the internment was moral? Mill would counter that we must rely upon the judgment of those who had experienced both. It follows that we would have to rely upon the judgment of racists who had also been interned. Such people, if they exist, presumably would guide us as to whether the pleasure of interning the object of one's hate outweighed the pain of internment. Mill's solution fails, though, because it ultimately relies on a subjective rather than objective measurement. If we rely on the judgment of those who are racist and former internees, by definition their view is subjective. Conversely, determi

Category: Philosophy - U