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Midterm Essay Morality and Value (PHIL08015)

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This essay explores the demandingness objection to Utilitarianism. Ultimately it determines that the demandingness objection is philosophically sound through a well-reasoned and structured response that considers both cognitive/time demand as well as the impartiality requirement. The essay strictly...

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  • January 30, 2024
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  • 2023/2024
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“Utilitarianism is too demanding.” Is this a good objection to Utilitarianism? (70)


Utilitarianism, in its broadest sense, theorises that an action is only morally right if it generates the
greatest total sum of utility or wellbeing. In this essay I will argue that the objection, “Utilitarianism is too
demanding,” is philosophically sound. First I will discuss the cognitive and time demand that
Utilitarianism places upon an agent through the lens of practicality. Then, through an evaluative lens, I
will consider Utilitarianism’s demand that we always act impartially, demonstrating that Utilitarianism
challenges and even precludes personal relationships. These two points will serve to conclude that
deeming Utilitarianism “too demanding” is a sound philosophical objection as well as true.


In this essay, I will be explicitly considering classical act Utilitarianism and referring to it throughout as
simply “Utilitarianism”. Utilitarianism is, in some ways, plausible. It often provides an answer that
intuitively feels and seems correct. For example, were you, in the distant future, for some reason in charge
of intergalactic relations and you were presented with two options: (1) declare a senseless war on an alien
race or (2) negotiate a peace treaty between your planets, the obvious ethical choice is (2) negotiate a
peace treaty. A Utilitarian would agree, not because “senseless war” itself is a morally troublesome
concept, but because a war in which many people die would likely produce less utility than a peace treaty
in which all parties are satisfied.


Cognitive and Time Demand


We, as free agents in a relatively free world, make thousands of conscious decisions a day. We cross the
street, change the radio station, and take the long way home from the library. According to the Utilitarian,
we must always weigh the utility outcome of each of these choices. This suggests we must have a running
dialogue that, at all times, is weighing the produced utility of our actions, something bound to take up an
immeasurable amount of mental energy.


This cognitive demand, one that must be working all the time, for every little choice, is entirely
unsustainable and impractical. It turns every small choice into a moral debate. Things we might consider
trivial like deciding between a bagel and donut at a cafe, are suddenly complex moral dilemmas in which
it is imperative that your decision include some very quick maths about which would bring you the most
joy to consume, the cashier the most joy to sell, and your coworkers the most joy to watch you eat.

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