Utilitarianism is an ethical theory
that places the locus of right and wrong solely on the outcomes of
choosing one action/policy over other actions/policies. There are
many challenges that are prsented against the utilitarianism. The
main challenges are listed below:
- According to Mill, if a person is
presented with a first principle that general custom does not deem
fundamental, that person will see no reason to respect or value
that principle. Rather, the corollary moral ideas based on the
first principle will seem to have a stronger foundation than the
foundation itself. Mill says that this challenge will simply
persist for utilitarianism until education influences people to see
the general good as a deeply rooted moral good.
- It is too idealistic to think that
people would bother to undertake the calculation each time they
were making a decision about an action. Also, It is not possible to
work out all the possible consequences of an action for people’s
happiness.