Utilitarianism

J.S. Mill claims that our moral sense or conscience is the sanction of the Principal of utility.

Analysis: Explain what ‘Mill means, in the context of Utilitarian theory.

Discussion: Is Mill’s view in this respect consistent with the spirit of Utilitarianism

To really understand what Mill means in the context of Utilitarian theory you need to know the general meaning of The Principal of Utilitarianism. The Principal of Utilitarianism is a normative, ethical, and moral theory. It is a kind of formula or law that is designed to tell us what to do. What we should do is follow whatever set of rules that will produce the best consequences. The best consequences are those involving the most possible pleasure according to Bentham or true happiness according to Mill.

Mill defines of utilitarianism is a theory based on the principle that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. Mill defines happiness as pleasure and the absence of pain. He argues that pleasure can differ in quality and quantity, and that pleasures that are rooted in one's higher faculties should be weighted more heavily than baser pleasures. Furthermore, Mill argues that

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Due to the fact that we all have social feeling on the behalf of others, the unselfish wish for the good of all is enough to move us to act morally. But when the stakes are high, then the use of external sanctions can be justified on utilitarian grounds. But utilitarianism is invoked in determining when sanctions are justifiably applied, and the type of sanctions to be applied. There are other things, on the contrary, which we wish that People should do, which we like or admire them for doing, perhaps dislike or despise them for not doing, but yet admit that they are not [45/46] bound to do; it is not a case of moral obligation; we do not blame them, that is, we do not think that they are proper objects for punishment”

. In the case of internal sanctions, the link is not directly with social rules but with a person's conscience. But like mentioned earlier sanctions are of different types. Internal Sanction is a Subjective feeling. The personal values, violation of which produces guilt feelings, can be conceived of as guides to conduct. The common morality is constituted by the shared personal values of its members. If we do something wrong we are more likely to blame our selves.

In chapter four Mill is linking the notion of morality with punishment or sanctions. So the internal sanctions will, to some extent at least, be attached to the same set of rules as the external sanctions of social disapproval.

Utilitarianism can serve not only as a moral standard, but also as a sanction, incentive, or motivating reason for an action. The external sanctions are attached to legal rules and to informal social rules which embody the conventional morality of the society. This seems the real turning point of the distinction between morality and simple expediency.

Approximate Word count = 974
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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