The 11 Objections Mill Responds to

Question 1

Objection:

‘Utility’ means what is useful, not what is pleasurable. Therefore, utilitarianism ignores the value of pleasure.

Answer 1

Response:
It’s a misunderstanding. Mill reasserts Bentham’s claims:
1- Actions are right if they promote happiness and wrong if they don’t.
2- Happiness is the promotion of pleasure and absence of pain.
3- Pleasure, and freedom of pain are the only desirable ends.
Mill accepts and defends Hedonism.

Question 2

Objection:

We don’t need happiness - many wise people lived without it.

Answer 2

Response:
But what have they sacrificed their happiness for? The happiness of others - if not then it was a wasted sacrifice.
Utilitarianism recognises recognises the virtue of sacrificing your happiness for others - aim to increase total happiness.

Question 3

Objection:

Utilitarians make right and wrong depend on the agent’s happiness,

Answer 3

Response:
Obvious misunderstanding.
The criterion of happiness is the happiness of others.
Organise society so we feel our happiness is interconnected - we feel happy by making others happy.

Question 4

Objection:

Utilitarianism is a godless theory.

Answer 4

Response:
Nope.
It can be made compatible with the christian teachings about God.

Question 5

Objection:

Utilitarianism will lead to the sacrificing of moral principles for the ‘expedient’ (short term) immoral action.

Answer 5

Response:
When an action is ‘expedient’ in the sense of what is in the person’s short term interest, then utilitarianism condemns it because it sacrifices the greater happiness of people generally.