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Problems of Utilitarianism

Problems of Utilitarianism. Naturalistic Fallacy Lacks Justification Lacks Intrinsic Goods. Problem of Utilitarianism: Commits the Naturalistic Fallacy. “Cannot deduce an OUGHT from an IS” ( G.E. Moore ) Cannot move from FACT to VALUES

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Problems of Utilitarianism

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  1. Problems of Utilitarianism • Naturalistic Fallacy • Lacks Justification • Lacks Intrinsic Goods

  2. Problem of Utilitarianism:Commits the Naturalistic Fallacy • “Cannot deduce an OUGHT from an IS” (G.E. Moore) • Cannot move from FACT to VALUES • Cannot move from EPISTEMOLOGY (knowledge) to ETHICS (G.E. Moore, Principia Ethica)

  3. Problem of Utilitarianism:Commits the Naturalistic Fallacy From the mere statement of psychological fact that people actually desire happiness for its own sake • one cannot deduce the evaluative conclusion that pleasure is desirable, i.e. that it ought to be desired. People may desire something that they ought not to desire, something which is not really desirable. e.g People may desire to take hard drugs as it produces pleasure. But is taking hard drugs good?

  4. Utilitarian’s Universal Altruism Lacks Justification Each person desires his / her own happiness. ? Therefore each person ought to aim for his or her own happiness. This jump from Egotistical Hedonism to include the welfare of others lacks support. Therefore everyone ought to aim at the happiness of everyone

  5. Utilitarianism: Counter-intuitive As an intuitionistW.D. Ross rejected utilitarianism on the grounds that it ignores intrinsic goods that are counter, or contrary, to our intuitive, innate, sense of right and wrong. Even if it could be shown that happiness was greatest by lying to people there is something simply wrong about lying and deception which would make people wish to reject such an ethic. W.D. Ross

  6. Utilitarianism: Lack of Intrinsic Goods Utilitarianism is a consequential morality and so lacks intrinsic goods, such as trust, honesty and dignity. This creates an ethos of uncertainty where people are never really sure if they are valued. e.g YUPPIES (Young Urban Professional People) In the early 1980s many middle-aged businessmen, who had shown great loyalty accruing high profits for their companies were sacked over-night; to be replaced by YUPPIES. YUPPIES were considered to be of greater immediateuse to the company, being younger and so cheaper in the short run.

  7. People Are Separate And Unique Professor Simon Blackburn has argued that “Utilitarianism does not take seriously the separateness of persons – the idea being that it subordinates the rights of the individual to solidarity with the general welfare.”(Being Good, p.92) e.g. In World War II the right of the pacifist Methodist minister, Lord Donald Soper, to speak out against the war was denied as it was thought his words would undermine the war effort and was detrimental to the general welfare of the country.

  8. Utilitarianism requires a non-utilitarian framework in order to work Professor Alasdair MacIntyre argues that utilitarianism is effective as an ethical theory only when it operates within a non-utilitarian framework, where intrinsic, deontological values enable people to flourish. e.g. Happiness may be promoted in a society that upholds intrinsic values of justice, liberty and honesty. Alasdair MacIntyre

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