Critiques of Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism range from practical concerns about its application
to deep moral objections regarding human rights and the nature of happiness. While Bentham
sought to make ethics a "science," subsequent philosophers and contemporary critics have
identified several significant flaws in his framework.
1. The Problem of Measurement and Subjectivity
The most immediate practical objection is that happiness and pleasure are notoriously difficult to
define and measure objectively .
● Impracticality of the Calculus: While Bentham proposed the felicific calculus as a
scientific algorithm, he was never able to provide the actual figures or mathematical
values required to make it functional , . In practice, it often fails to deliver a determinate
answer , .
● Subjectivity of Experience: The same experience can produce happiness in one
person and misery in another, making a universal "hedonic scale" nearly impossible to
establish .
● Commensurability: Bentham’s theory assumes all pleasures are
commensurable—meaning they can all be measured on the same scale . Critics argue
that intellectual achievements cannot be meaningfully weighed against simple physical
sensations like eating ice cream , .
2. "Pig Philosophy" and the Quality of Pleasure
Bentham's insistence that "quantity of pleasure being equal, pushpin is as good as poetry" was
famously criticized as a "pig philosophy" by Thomas Carlyle , , , .
● Lack of Qualitative Distinction: Bentham focused solely on the amount of pleasure.
His student, John Stuart Mill, argued this was a "thin" account of human nature that
failed to distinguish between higher pleasures (intellectual and moral) and lower
pleasures (sensual) , .
● The "Oyster" Problem: If only quantity matters, a life of a very long-lived oyster
experiencing mild pleasure would eventually outweigh the intense but finite life of a
famous composer like Haydn . Mill argued this is intuitively wrong because humans
possess "elevated faculties" that make intellectual pleasures inherently more valuable
than any quantity of base sensation , .
3. The "Tyranny of the Majority" and Justice
A major moral objection is that Bentham’s focus on aggregate happiness can justify severe
injustice -.
● Sacrificing the Minority: If harming a small minority produces a larger net gain in
pleasure for the majority, Bentham's logic appears to endorse it , . This is often called the
"tyranny of the majority" , , .
● Ignoring Individual Rights: Bentham famously dismissed natural rights as "nonsense
on stilts" , . Because he reduced morality to arithmetic, he had no vocabulary for the
to deep moral objections regarding human rights and the nature of happiness. While Bentham
sought to make ethics a "science," subsequent philosophers and contemporary critics have
identified several significant flaws in his framework.
1. The Problem of Measurement and Subjectivity
The most immediate practical objection is that happiness and pleasure are notoriously difficult to
define and measure objectively .
● Impracticality of the Calculus: While Bentham proposed the felicific calculus as a
scientific algorithm, he was never able to provide the actual figures or mathematical
values required to make it functional , . In practice, it often fails to deliver a determinate
answer , .
● Subjectivity of Experience: The same experience can produce happiness in one
person and misery in another, making a universal "hedonic scale" nearly impossible to
establish .
● Commensurability: Bentham’s theory assumes all pleasures are
commensurable—meaning they can all be measured on the same scale . Critics argue
that intellectual achievements cannot be meaningfully weighed against simple physical
sensations like eating ice cream , .
2. "Pig Philosophy" and the Quality of Pleasure
Bentham's insistence that "quantity of pleasure being equal, pushpin is as good as poetry" was
famously criticized as a "pig philosophy" by Thomas Carlyle , , , .
● Lack of Qualitative Distinction: Bentham focused solely on the amount of pleasure.
His student, John Stuart Mill, argued this was a "thin" account of human nature that
failed to distinguish between higher pleasures (intellectual and moral) and lower
pleasures (sensual) , .
● The "Oyster" Problem: If only quantity matters, a life of a very long-lived oyster
experiencing mild pleasure would eventually outweigh the intense but finite life of a
famous composer like Haydn . Mill argued this is intuitively wrong because humans
possess "elevated faculties" that make intellectual pleasures inherently more valuable
than any quantity of base sensation , .
3. The "Tyranny of the Majority" and Justice
A major moral objection is that Bentham’s focus on aggregate happiness can justify severe
injustice -.
● Sacrificing the Minority: If harming a small minority produces a larger net gain in
pleasure for the majority, Bentham's logic appears to endorse it , . This is often called the
"tyranny of the majority" , , .
● Ignoring Individual Rights: Bentham famously dismissed natural rights as "nonsense
on stilts" , . Because he reduced morality to arithmetic, he had no vocabulary for the
