What is Utilitarianism? | John Stuart Mill on Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is one of the most famous ethical theories out there, but this fame has also led to a lot of misunderstanding. Thankfully, John Stuart Mill, one of the major proponents of utilitarianism, has a fairly concise essay that explains what utilitarianism is and isn't.
Arguably the most important factor of utilitarianism is the Greatest Happiness Principle, first brought up by fellow utilitarian Jeremy Bentham. This principle, according to Mill, holds that "actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness."
Reading through Mill's essay, it's clear that our pursuit of happiness and avoidance of pain is foundational to utilitarianism as it has been for other ethical philosophers such as Epicurus. #philosophy #ethics #utilitarianism

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[reddykilowatt]

At a more basic level, the end goal is survival. Happiness comes into it such that things that generate tend to be things that enhance our ability to survive whereas those that cause pain tend to lessen it. Everything we do, whether we admit it or not, rests on this simple principle.

[baiterfish]

My big problem with utilitarianism is the one you brought up at the end. That happiness is and should be the goal of all our actions. I just can't get behind that.

I think Campus makes a great argument in his essay The Myth of Sisyphus where he explains that happiness is not a goal but something that accompanies us as we strive towards a goal. Making the argument that even though Sisyphus is doomed to roll his boulder eternally up a hill, we must assume that he is happy to do so

Not to mention that a lot of our decisions in life are not motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain. We read tragedies and listen to sad music all the time. Yet I don't think anyone would call that immoral

[elainemariequiroz]

This helped me understand in a fun way for my ethics college class so thank you!

[tomaspaisana]

Thanks man! Learned more in a video than in all of my classes! Big W

[strkabox]

Excellent video that really helped understand what Mills what trying to convey.

[jthewei]

Thanks for uploading this video about utilitarianism, one of the more common ethical theories i have heard out there that have generated many moral dilemmas such as the example you brought up with the trolley. I heard of other scenarios like that involving a whole train of people vs saving your dad. I also wonder if the idea of happiness/pleasure being the end goal is contrasted with the idea of having an end goal of fulfillment as its separate philosophy.

[PetarStamenkovic]

Please consider seeking God. God is truth. Truth exists. No hypothesis in history has more scientific confirmation than belief in the universal, eternal and singular truth. Truth reigns in your life regardless if you understand it or not. It's up to you to realize this fact and adjust your life accordingly.

Seek the truth. Truth is one. Not knowing the truth does not lessen the impact of your folly due to ignorance. Falling still hurts regardless how familiar you are with gravity or whether or not you believe in it. Insisting that you don't believe in reality does not exempt you from being subject of reality. There is nothing better you can do with your life than to seek and love the truth with all of your heart. This is the first of the ten commandments.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day.

[TheMjsanty]

As I go along my philosophy journey I find myself agreeing less with the normative ethical schools and more with virtue ethics.

Primarily because the normative schools (like Utilitarianism) don’t seem to encourage the person to make ethical choices where they have to exercise their judgments to decide what is ethical.

[Muneeb.]

It's a vague vague theory, I suppose that it's sabotaged for the sake of wider acceptance

[queenofhearts_]

You're funny, cool plus intelligent 😎 😅

[EdDale]

By this measure, a drug dealer supplies the most pleasure.

If I had the ability to plug a brain into a continual stimulus tool that placed the person in a continual loop of never ending pleasure, would it be ethical to do so for someone else?

[gabriellesmith]

Utilitarianism puts all people on the same moral level. Vladimir Putin and I are not on the same moral level. I don’t want someone making calculations for me on what is best for the whole as if he counts.