musings on utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is a theory of morality that states that the right action is the one which brings about the most utility (aka happiness), all things considered. It's the theory that says everyone's happiness is equal and should be considered as such; no preferences for the happiness of rich people over poor people, and no judging anyone on what makes them happy (if you're big dream is to complete a pogo stick marathon, then as long as you're not hurting anyone else it's fine by utilitarianism!)

However, it's also the theory that says if you can save 5 lives by killing 1 person, then you should do it. More happiness will be created by the five lives being spared, and this outweighs any sadness created over the one life lost. But I'm just not convinced this is true. I don't think you can weigh up happiness and sadness like that. For one thing, sadness is more than just the absence of happiness. It's not like light and darkness (darkness being merely the absence of light). Sadness/anguish/grief/guilt/etc are states of being in their own right. And I don't think you can put them on the scales against happiness and say one weighs more than the other. It's just not that simple.

One of the most common objections to utilitarianism, however, is that it makes EVERYTHING a question of morality. At any point in time, the theory tells us to ask ourselves whether there's not something we could be doing that would create more happiness than what we're doing at the moment. And that's not just happiness for ourselves, or our loved ones. Our own happiness is no more important that anyone else's, therefore we should always be considering how we can make the world a better place, every minute of every day.

Whilst this is often considered a knock down objection to utilitiarianism, I think it's actually the theory's strongest point. Sure, it's challenging. And sure, if we really took it seriously it'd revolutionise the way we live our lives. But why is that a bad thing? Utilitarians have almost always been social revolutionaries (or at least had feminist mistresses, a la John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor). Our society is not beyond the need for revolution. Not by a long shot. So while I'm not convinced that utilitarianism is a practical ethical theory, I think the fact that it seriously asks us to look at every sphere of our lives (especially, I think, the sphere of consumerism: what would happen if we really considered the implications of every purchase we make on the happiness of those who produced it? not to mention whether we really need it, or could our money be better spent elsewhere?) is utilitarianisms strongest point.