focusing on how to measure and rank happiness (intellectual versus physical), quantity versus quality, and a standard of morality that judges acts only by their consequences. These objections are particularly acute in the aforementioned instances.
For example, liberty is a basic tenet of Western political thought. The principle of liberty guarantees that all individuals have the right to act (or not to act) as they choose, up until the point their acts invade the rights of others (Popkin and Stroll 142). This ideal is the core of democracy in Europe and the United States.
Utilitarianism threatens liberty, though, by its emphasis on the greatest good to the greatest number of people. We can envision many instances where a greater degree of happiness could be achieved by limiting the liberty of a few. During World War II, the American government interned Japanese-Americans. This produced tragedy and misery for the internees, but for many
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