Utilitarianism is a moral theory that sees happiness as the ultimate good. It states that the right thing to do, in any situation, is to maximise pleasure and minimise pain.
This is not a selfish theory, it conceives of everyone as a large group. It then considers what the expected happiness – of the whole group – would be, and also what the expected unhappiness. Utilitarianism then recommends the action that would produce the most happiness minus pain.
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Hedonism
The standard Utilitarian is what we call a “Hedonist”. This is someone who believes that pleasure is (or causes) happiness.
So, for the Hedonist, the more pleasure you can get, the better.
An example of a Hedonist is Epicurus, who believed that the important we need to weigh up actions in relation to how much pleasure they will give us, but also how much pain they will cause.
Epicurus
Epicurus was a Greek philosopher born in 341 BC. He founded the school of philosophy known as Epicureanism, which taught that the highest good is the pursuit of happiness through the avoidance of pain and anxiety.
For instance, we might desire a takeaway because it will give us a lot of immediate please. But, that pleasure is outweighed by the indigestion we suffer afterwards. Better, thought Epicurus, to stick to simple, pleasant food that will leave us feeling well. Epicurus liked bread, cheese and olives (even he wouldn’t see the hedonistic benefit in broccoli).
Principle of Utility
The Utilitarian Philosopher, John Stuart Mill, took Epicurus’ ideas about personal happiness, and made it a universal principle.
If you believe that happiness is the fundamental good, wouldn’t you want that for everyone?
J.S. Mill
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was a British philosopher, economist, and political theorist. He is considered one of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism, advocating for individual freedom and democracy while also promoting utilitarianism as a moral principle.
Mill’s idea is to take the consequences of any particular action, then work out which one produces the most aggregate happiness. Regardless of who is suffering and who is receiving pleasure.
Whichever action produces the most amount of happiness (after pain is taken away), is the right one to perform.
Think of society not like a collection of individuals, but as a machine. Each individual is a member of that machine. The output of the machine is happiness minus pain. The input is your action.
According to Mill, your aim should be to produce the most happiness. You shouldn’t care about individuals. You shouldn’t care about yourself. You simply need to work out what is best, over-all. This is the fundamental Utilitarian idea.
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