Introduction to Utilitarianism

“To what shall the character of utility be ascribed, if not to that which is a source of pleasure?” – Jeremy Bentham 1 1 Table of Contents Introduction Hedonism The “Evil Pleasures” Objection The Experience Machine Objection Desire Theories Bizarre Desires Changing Preferences Objective List Theories Is Objective Value “Spooky”? Alienation Practical Implications of Theories of Well-Being Conclusion Resources and Further Reading Introduction Welfarism Hedonism Desire Theories Objective List Theories Introduction A core element of utilitarianism is welfarism—the view that only the welfare (also called well-being) of individuals determines how good a particular state of the world is. While consequentialists claim that what is right is to promote the amount of good in the world, welfarists specifically equate the good to be promoted with well-being. Philosophers use the term “well-being” to refer to what's good for a person, as opposed to what's good per se, or “from the point of view of the Universe” to use Sidgwick's poetic phrase. Utilitarianism holds that well-being is always good from the point of view of the universe, and not just good for the individual. But other views may coherently deny this. For example, one might think that [...] ---Outline:(00:18) Introduction(02:29) Hedonism(05:32) The Evil Pleasures Objection(08:45) The Experience Machine Objection(12:34) Desire Theories(15:29) Bizarre Desires(16:19) Changing Preferences(18:10) Objective List Theories(20:17) Is Objective Value Spooky?(23:07) Alienation(24:33) Practical Implications of Theories of Well-Being(26:08) Conclusion(27:37) Introduction(28:42) Welfarism(29:10) Hedonism(30:25) Desire Theories(31:35) Objective List Theories The original text contained 40 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://www.utilitarianism.net/theories-of-well-being --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

After defining utilitarianism, this chapter offers a detailed analysis of its four key elements (consequentialism, welfarism, impartiality, and aggregationism). It explains the difference between maximizing, satisficing, and scalar utilitarianism, and other important distinctions between utilitarian theories. The original text contained 30 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/types-of-utilitarianism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Explores the three major theories of well-being, or what makes a life good for the individual living it: hedonism, desire theory, and objective list theory. The original text contained 38 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/theories-of-wellbeing --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Utilitarianism has important implications for how we should think about leading an ethical life. Despite giving no intrinsic weight to deontic constraints, it supports many commonsense prohibitions and virtues in practice. Its main practical difference instead lies in its emphasis on positively doing good, in more expansive and efficient ways than people typically prioritize. The original text contained 27 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/utilitarianism-and-practical-ethics --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

This chapter presents a toolkit of general strategies for responding to objections to utilitarianism, before introducing the most influential specific objections to the theory. The original text contained 7 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/objections-to-utilitarianism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Critics often allege that utilitarianism objectionably instrumentalizes people—treating us as mere means to the greater good, rather than properly valuing individuals as ends in themselves. In this article, we assess whether this is a fair objection. The original text contained 8 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/objections-to-utilitarianism/mere-means --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

In directing us to choose the impartially best outcome, even at significant cost to ourselves, utilitarianism can seem an incredibly demanding theory. This page explores whether this feature of utilitarianism is objectionable, and if so, how defenders of the view might best respond. The original text contained 5 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/objections-to-utilitarianism/demandingness --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Relationships like parenthood or guardianship seemingly give rise to special obligations to protect those who fall under our care (where these obligations are more stringent than our general duties of beneficence towards strangers). This article explores the extent to which impartial utilitarianism can accommodate intuitions and normative practices of partiality. The original text contained 10 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/objections-to-utilitarianism/special-obligations --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Utilitarianism is concerned with the overall well-being of individuals in the population, but many object that justice requires an additional concern for how this well-being is distributed across individuals. This article examines this objection, and how utilitarians might best respond. The original text contained 6 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/objections-to-utilitarianism/equality --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“Create all the happiness you are able to create; remove all the misery you are able to remove. Every day will allow you, will invite you to add something to the pleasure of others, or to diminish something of their pains.” —Jeremy Bentham So far we have looked at utilitarianism from a theoretical viewpoint. But what does utilitarianism actually mean in practice? What concrete actions does it say we should take? This article explains what it means to live an ethical life from the perspective of utilitarianism. The original text contained 40 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/acting-on-utilitarianism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Susanna Newcome (1685-1763) was an eighteenth-century philosopher and theologian who lived and worked in England. Her most significant work, An Enquiry into the Evidence of the Christian Religion, contains an early formulation of utilitarian thought. In this short book, Newcome synthesizes contemporary developments in natural theology and moral psychology to offer a utilitarian account of the nature of ethics and our moral duties.Life and Works Newcome (née Squire) was born in 1685 in the small Wiltshire village of Durnford, where her father was a vicar. The original text contained 10 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/utilitarian-thinker/susanna-newcome --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

William Thompson (1775–1833) was a philosopher, political economist, and social reformer working during the early nineteenth century. He and his sometimes co-author Anna Doyle Wheeler made significant, though under-appreciated, contributions to the utilitarian, socialist, and feminist philosophical traditions.1 Life William Thompson was a landowner from Cork, Ireland with a reputation for eccentricity. He was often disparaged as “the Red Republican”—a reference to both the red flags of the Jacobins of the French Revolution and contemporaneous attempts at revolution against the British by the Irish Republicans. The original text contained 9 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/utilitarian-thinker/william-thompson --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Harriet Taylor Mill (née Hardy) was born in 1807 in Walworth, South London, as the daughter of a midwife. She was educated at home and became interested in poetry and writing at a young age. She married John Taylor, a pharmacist, aged 18. Even before she met John Stuart Mill, she was writing extensively on topics such as women’s rights (particularly in marriage, domestic violence and education), politics, ethics and religious toleration. The original text contained 8 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/utilitarian-thinker/harriet-taylor-mill --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.