Utilitarian Ethics and the Principles of Social Justice

Utilitarianism and Ethical Theory

The main representatives of this school of thought were Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. These utilitarian authors developed their theories by adapting them to the social and historical context of their time. Utilitarians advocate for teleological ethics, considering that actions have meaning only through their consequences, unlike the deontological approach of Kant. The purpose that every human being aims for is happiness; for the utilitarian, this is equivalent to pleasure or comfort. Happiness is a good in itself, and anything that provides us with happiness is considered a good.

Jeremy Bentham and the Maximization of Pleasure

For Bentham, the art of ethics is to direct the actions of men toward the production of as much happiness as possible. Bentham believed it is important to enjoy and have the greatest possible number of stimuli. He also recommended sharing and publicizing pleasures so that more people can enjoy those same pleasures. He was aware that some satisfactions are obtained at the expense of other people's suffering and that to enjoy greater satisfaction, there may have been prior suffering.

John Stuart Mill and Higher Faculties

Mill argued that not all pleasures are equal and that they can be ranked into lower pleasures and higher pleasures. Mill defends the idea that human beings have the capacity to develop their higher faculties through study and knowledge; this is the learning process that holds the greatest pleasures.

The Concept of Justice

Justice is a state power involving institutions and organs. We also speak of justice when one acts in accordance with current legislation. Furthermore, justice is a property attributed to individuals that carries a moral value. The most common understanding of this concept is equality between individuals in a society, which is known as justice as fairness.

Justice as Fairness and Equity

Justice as fairness is understood in two distinct ways:

1. Restorative or Commutative Justice: This means being just by giving everyone what they deserve based on what they have done. Equity in these cases is to establish the same criteria for everyone.
2. Distributive Justice: In this case, being just involves the distribution of common resources to balance, as much as possible, existing inequalities. It aims to decrease material and social injustices.

Limitations of Absolute Social Equality

Saying that a society is equally fair to all citizens is considered invalid for three specific reasons:

• First: Not all people are capable of fulfilling the same responsibilities.
• Second: Each individual's needs are diverse.
• Third: A society's resources are limited, which means the community faces insurmountable physical limits.