Mill's Theory of Utilitarianism

Paper Summary:

This paper begins with a look at how Utilitarianism has affected our present-day economic and social paradigm and then, while briefly acknowledging its positive aspects, takes a deeper look at the criticisms of the Utilitarian philosophy. Next, the paper presents a brief outline of the philosophy, as developed by John Stuart Mill, and explains the attraction of Utilitarianism during Mill's day. The paper continues with a look at additional criticisms of Utilitarianism and a discussion of the author's point of view on Utilitarianism and why these criticisms may be wrong.

From the Paper:

"Utilitarianism has had a profound impact on many areas of society, including politics and education, since its inception in the nineteenth century. In terms of institutional application in a historical sense, "The main tenets of utilitarianism included the exposure of all institutions to the tests of rational utility, in the interest of the greatest
happiness of the greatest number and the possibility of an objective ethics" (Williams, p. 88). Some others have likened utilitarianism to an oversimplification of the universe that does not take into account its essential idiosyncrasies and variant circumstances, and sees people, perhaps rather narrowly, less as individuals and more as examples of
national or economic statistics. Either way, utilitarianism has often been evinced by an over-reliance on statistics, and these statistics could easily be correlated with the over-reliance on facts that have formed the basis for the rote educational system, which still persists in many areas."

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• Analytical Essay # 135714 : "Harman's Observational Theory of Ethics"

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