Topic 3: The Forms of Utilitarianism

Essay question

What kind of utilitarian is Mill? Is there a better version of utilitarianism?

Key readings

• Mill, J. S., Utilitarianism, London: Parker, Son & Bourn, 1863, chs. 1-4.
• Mill. J. S., A System of Logic, London: John W. Parker, 1843, book 6, ch. 12.
• Brink, D. O., Mill's Moral and Political Philosophy, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Fall, 2014, sect. 2.6.
• Crisp, R., Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Mill on Utilitarianism, London: Routledge, 1997, ch. 5.
• Smart, J. J. C. & B. Williams, Utilitarianism, For and Against, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973, pp. 42-57, 118-135.

Further reading

• Bales, R. E., Act-Utilitarianism: Account of Right-Making Characteristics or Decision-Making Procedure?, American Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 8, no. 3 (July, 1971), pp. 257-265.
• Berger, F. R., Happiness, Justice, and Freedom: The Moral and Political Philosophy of John Stuart Mill, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984, ch. 3.
• Brown, D. G., Mill on Liberty and Morality, The Philosophical Review, vol. 81, no. 2 (April, 1972), pp. 133-158.
• Crisp, R., Utilitarianism and the Life of Virtue, The Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 42, no. 167 (April, 1992), pp. 139-160.
• Hare, R. M., Moral Thinking: Its Levels, Method, and Point, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981, chs. 2-3.
• Hooker, B., Rule Consequentialism, Mind, vol. 99, no. 393 (January, 1990), pp. 67-77.
• Lyons, D., Forms and Limits of Utilitarianism, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967.
• Lyons, D., Mill's Theory of Morality, Noûs, vol. 10, no. 2, (May, 1976), pp. 101-120.
• Mabbott, J. D., Interpretations of Mill's 'Utilitarianism', The Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 6, no. 23 (April, 1956), pp. 115-120.
• Urmson, J. O., The Interpretation of the Moral Philosophy of J. S. Mill, The Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 3, no. 10 (January, 1953), pp. 33-39.
• Williams, B., Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy, London: Fontana, 1985, ch. 5

Exam questions

• “The only true form of Utilitarianism is so-called Act Utilitarianism.” Do you agree?
• What is rule utilitarianism? Is it an improvement on act utilitarianism?
• Is there any way to stop rule utilitarianism collapsing into act utilitarianism?
• “If utilitarianism is true, we should not believe it.” Are there any good arguments for this conclusion? Are rules ‘sacred’? Can a utilitarian agree that they are?
• According to Mill we can find ‘the complete spirit’ of Utilitarianism in the Golden Rule of Jesus of Nazareth. What could he mean by this assertion?
• What should a utilitarian think about moral rules against lying?