Utilitarianism (OCR A-Level Religious Studies): Revision Notes

Rule utilitarianism

John Stuart Mill:

Developed the utilitarianism of Bentham into "rule utilitarianism."

"it is better to be a Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied."- Mill

Mill's utilitarianism

Liberal principle: humans are the best judge of their own happiness & as such should be given maximum freedom or liberty to live their lives as they consider appropriate. "My right to swing my arm ends where your nose begins" The harm principle: that an individual's actions and freedoms should not bring harm to another individual. Rule utilitarianism: you should follow rules that will generally bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people over time.

Mill disagreed with Bentham's use of utility to judge every action as happiness is too complex for this simple understanding of moral decisions.

We should therefore draw on the wisdom of the past to decide what produces happiness and avoids suffering.

"Secondary principles" provide us with general rules and guidelines and a result of what society shows produces the best result.

Higher and lower pleasures

Mill believed that there are different qualities of pleasure.

This meant that we should also measure pleasure qualitatively, before we measure it quantitively. Lower forms of pleasure:

• Food

• Drink

• Drugs

• Sex Higher forms of pleasure:

• Passion

• Love

• Appreciation for Art

• Poetry

• Knowledge 💡This way we work towards the pleasures that will have the greatest impact on society. Rather than aligning with hedonism, he thought we should be moving towards human flourishing

Ethical scenarios to apply

• Philippa Foot: the trolley problem
• Bernard Williams: Jim and the Indians
• Covid 19 pandemic: ventilation machines
• Black lives matter movement and social justice
• LGBTQ+ rights e.g. marriage

Strengths of Rule Utilitarianism

• Mill avoids the criticisms associated with the calculation of pleasure and pain. We do not need to make complex calculations in the moment, we just need to understand the secondary principles society holds.
• Mill acknowledged that we cannot just act on the principle of utility, we need to use the wisdom accumulated over the years to the best of our ability in order to make the right decisions.
• Mill acknowledges that society progresses and therefore its rules and expectations should progress along with it.
• The harm principle corrects the flaws of Bentham by preventing an individual from being harmed to allow pleasure for others.
• Higher and lower pleasures acknowledge the difference between different pleasures instead of arguing that all pleasures are weighted equally when they all have vastly different consequences.

Weaknesses of Rule Utilitarianism

• Mill does not believe in universal human rights which are essential for the protection and stability of society.
• Individuals are not best suited to decide what is right for them, we need more guidance to make the best decisions in the long term to avoid making irrational decisions.
• Mill has created an ethical moral decision-making system that prioritises the individual, undermining the concepts of society and unity within humanity.
• Utilitarianism does not take into account the intentions behind an action. However: Mill would respond that they do matter as it will determine their future actions.
• The rule fails to acknowledge emotions and human connections which influence moral decisions in everyday life. However: Mill would respond that we need to focus on ourselves, as we don't have the opportunity to help and shape the lives of everyone.