What is utilitarianism?

Answer

The essence of Utilitarianism lies in its concept of pleasure and pain. Utilitarian philosophy defines “good” as anything that increases pleasure and decreases pain. It focuses on outcomes. If an action results in increased pleasure and decreased pain, then it is deemed good. Essentially, Utilitarianism is a hedonistic philosophy. While the roots of Utilitarianism can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, it is commonly associated with the British philosopher Jeremy Bentham.

What are some of the challenges of Utilitarianism? Firstly, its emphasis on outcomes. In reality, an action is not inherently good solely based on its outcome. The Bible teaches that “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” «But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. », (1 Samuel 16:7). God is more concerned with the intentions of our hearts than just the outcomes. Actions that seem good may not please God if the intentions behind them are not pure. While we may not always discern the intentions of others or even fully understand our own, we are still accountable to God for our actions.

A second issue with Utilitarianism is its focus on pleasure rather than what is truly good. Pleasure is a subjective human construct of good and can vary from person to person. According to the Bible, God is the ultimate definition of good (Psalm 86:5;Psalm 119:68), and since God is unchanging «EveVery good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17), the definition of good does not change; it is objective, not subjective. Goodness does not fluctuate with the trends of human desire or the passage of time. Furthermore, by equating good with pleasure, we risk defining good as simply the satisfaction of our base, fleshly desires. As evidenced by people who succumb to a hedonistic lifestyle, the more one indulges in pleasure, the less intense the pleasure becomes, and the more indulging is needed to achieve the same stimulation. It’s the law of diminishing returns, applied to pleasure. An example of this cycle is drug addicts who experiment with progressively stronger drugs to achieve the same high.

A third problem with Utilitarianism is the avoidance of pain. Not all pain is bad. It’s not that pain in and of itself is good, but it can lead to good. The history of humanity is full of learning from mistakes. As many say, failure is the best teacher. No one is advocating that we should actively seek out pain. But to say that all pain is evil and should be avoided is naive. God is more interested in our holiness than our happiness. His exhortation to His people is to be holy as He is holy (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:15-16). The Bible also says that we are to count it all joy when we face trials of all kinds (James 1:2-4), not because the trials are joyful, but because they lead to greater perseverance and faithfulness.

All in all, the philosophy of Utilitarianism is focused on making this life as pain-free as possible for as many people as possible. On the surface, that seems like an admirable goal. Who would not want to relieveSave the suffering of people worldwide? However, the Bible informs us that there is more to our existence than solely this earthly life. If our sole purpose is to seek pleasure in this life, we overlook the broader perspective. Jesus cautioned that those who live solely for this life will face great disappointment « Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: », (Matthew 6:19). The apostle Paul assures us that the trials of this life cannot be compared to the eternal glory awaiting us «For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; », (2 Corinthians 4:17). The things of this life are temporary and fleeting (v. 18). Our focus should be on maximizing our glory in heaven, rather than on our earthly life.