Utilitarian?

[coledog855]

Anyone care to discuss the application and/or usage of Mill and Bentham's theories in utilitarianism?

[Reefer Rogue]

Well, As Jeremy Bentham professed, happiness is the only thing desirable in itself. The principal of utility is 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number' Live your life to make as many people happy as you can and then your own happiness will follow intuitively. Personally, i prefer Peter Singer's Preference Utilitarianism. We are all subjective, thus we should follow our own utilitarian prefences.

[coledog855]

I haven't read about Preference Utilitarianism, but if it is what you say it is then it would seem to conflict with singer's "war and famine" literature about maxi mime distribution of goods that exceed the necessities.

[Nixxxon]

I would call myself a utilitarian. Peter Singer is quite an intelligent man, and I would say Rational Utilitarianism is the way to go. Looking at things from a happiness/unhappiness viewpoint is the ultimate way to go. However, certain forms of Utilitarianism are terrible things. We must not let the minority be crushed and oppressed under the heavy fist of this powerful philosophy.

[jonassteele]

cant agree with you more nixxxon about certain forms of utilitarianism being terrible. Think about every so called "just" war/ legal murder that has occurred in the last history of mankind that hasn't been justified by utilitarian principles. "I will kill this one man, because he will kill many more" "Dropping the A-Bomb will save thousands more American lives" The fact that any murder/war can be justified at all by anything only serves the purpose of murderers.

[melodious fellow]

Mill however has a built in check on Utilitarianism and attempted justifications of murder, war etc.

Teleology

And Mill also said that we are all free to act as we wish, so long as we do not infringe on another's right to do the same.