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Utilitarianism In John Stuart Mill (a Critical Appraisal)
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Meanwhile, the fact that a certain action
would maximize utility on a particular occasion does not show that the
action is good and morally right. Instead, we should find out a correct
moral rule that should evaluate particular actions involved in the
counter-examples in relation to the adopted rules. The moral rules must
be based on the principle of utility. By this point therefore, it is
only the rules which will produce the best possible result for the
greatest number of people if everybody would observe it when adopted,
stands out as standard of distinguishing good actions from bad actions.
This theory of rule-utilitarianism is summarized thus:
a.
An action is right from an ethical point of view if and only if the
action would produce maximum utility when relates to the moral rules
that are considered correct.
b. A moral rule is
correct if and only if the sum total of utility produced if everybody
were to follow that rule is greater than the sum total of utilities
produced if everybody were to follow some alternative rule.
Finally,
rule-utilitarianism puts into consideration such question as: would
useful consequent result from everyone adopting and obeying this rule?
If the answer is in the affirmative, then such an act becomes morally
good while if on the contrary, it becomes morally wrong.
1.3.3 INDIVIDUAL UTILITARIANISM
Individual
utilitarianism is another form of utilitarianism otherwise known as
Egoistic Hedonism. The term obviously explains its concept. This form of
utilitarianism claims that the end of each man of which each man ought
to seek is his own greatest personal pleasure. Therefore, whatever
action that tends to promote and increase per se pleasure of each man
are to be regarded as morally right and good while those that produce
the reverse of one’s personal pleasure are morally bad and wrong
actions.
This school of thought agreed also that man’s highest good
is human pleasure. Accordingly, Jeremy Bentham maintained that pleasure
is the only good desired by all men and; pain the only evil which all
men seek to avoid. As such pain and pleasure controls our actions thus:
It
is for them alone to point out what we ought to do as well as to
determine what we shall do. On the one hand, the standard of right and
wrong, on the other hand the chain of causes and effects, are fastened
to their throne.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 6]
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