8.4 Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism

Here are some of the main strengths and weaknesses attributed to Utilitarianism as an ethical approach:

Strengths:

Utilitarianism offers an objective calculus for determining moral value based on the specific consequences of actions.  In attempting an impartial, consequentialist metric for ethics, utilitarianism aims admirably at maximizing social benefit but risks counterintuitive and morally questionable implications in many situational applications.

It’s goal of maximizing utility (typically defined as welfare, happiness, or well-being) seems like an important moral outcome.  Importantly, utilitarianism focuses on harm. Since pain is evil, it is immoral to harm another. Since what it means to harm someone is a fairly objective observation, laws can be created that punish those who harm others and thus create a less happy society.

It provides clear guidance in choosing courses of action that maximize social utility.

It values all people impartially, rather than biased options favoring specific groups.  One of the strengths of Utilitarianism is its impartiality concerning moral decisions. Mill believed that an educated populace that considers all the possible data would make the best moral decisions based on utility. The process of decision-making was based on open and passionate debate and was settled when a rational consensus was reached. This process requires a highly educated society and Mill supported a free educational system.

Weaknesses:

It seems quite difficult to reliably predict long term consequences of individual actions on overall utility.  Kant critiques consequentialism by claiming that we cannot know what the true results will be of our moral decisions. This is especially true with very complicated moral dilemmas. There are so many variables that it is nearly impossible to make the right choice since we often cannot get all the necessary data. Does this also mean that only very smart people can be truly moral?

Utilitarian “compromising” ethics disturb many people’s moral intuitions. For example, severely harming an innocent person may be permitted by utilitarians if it maximizes the greater good.

Utilitarianism struggles to appreciate the importance of individual moral rights that protect minorities from the majority.

Concepts like “happiness” or “welfare” involve subjective elements resisting straightforward quantification or comparison.