Current Utilitarianism

Current Utilitarianism

Right	Section	Contents
Freedom of Religion	Philosophical Origins	Modern utilitarianism, as communicated by thinkers such as Richard M. Hare, Peter Singer and David Lyons among others, has a relatively complex relationship regarding the freedom of religion and religion itself. Utilitarianism itself has been applied to various areas of knowledge from politics to economics to psychology but it has had many critiques since its growth in popularity in the 18th century. Before commenting on the utilitarian perspective on the freedom of religion, utilitarianism itself must be defined. Utilitarians believe that the most ethical choice in any circumstance is the choice that results in the maximization of welfare for as many people as possible. Impartiality is one of the most important aspects of utilitarianism. It rests on the assumption that all are afforded the same moral consideration of their well-being regardless of, “gender, race, nationality, or even species,” but it is also based on a “family of related ethical theories,”(MacAskill et al. 2023). Richard M. Hare describes it like this: “[W]hat the principle of utility requires of me is to do for each man affected by my actions what I wish were done for me in the hypothetical circumstances that I were in precisely his situation; and, if my actions affect more than one man… to do what I wish, all in all, to be done for me in the hypothetical circumstances that I occupied all their situations”(Hare, 1982).The maximization of total welfare is also an integral pillar of utilitarianism as utilitarians are concerned with the consequences of one's actions rather than the actions themselves. In other words, the action itself has no intrinsic value, ethical or moral, as they are judged based on the consequences resulting from said actions. What this means is that intention is irrelevant and the inspiration behind such actions is as well. Therefore, one's decision to act should be solely based on a evaluation of the consequences to not only the individual but to anyone who may be affected by the decision. Peter Singer, famously known for his books Animal Liberation and How Are We to Live?, writes, “I must consider the interests of my enemies as well as my friends, and of strangers as well as family. Only if, after taking fully into account the interests and preferences of all these people, I still think the action is better than any alternative open to me, can I genuinely say that I ought to do it.”(Singer 2008). These are the basic principles of utilitarianism and the basis for the following evaluation. One of the several legitimate critiques of utilitarianism has to do with the recognition of rights. John Greene, a Harvard professor and Doctor of Philosophy, highlights this in a 2015 “EconTalk” podcast episode stating, “utilitarianism doesn't adequately account for people's rights,” which has direct implications for the right to the freedom of religion. Essentially, utilitarianism does not take into account the rights that have been socially constructed and considered to be inalienable in a plethora of constitutions globally. Religion, like rights, is considered by many to be another form of social construct. Furthermore, taken in the context of Peter Singer’s presentation of utilitarianism, religion is seemingly incompatible with utilitarianism in and of itself: “Once we admit that Darwin was right when he argued that human ethics evolved from the social instincts that we inherited from our non-human ancestors, we can put aside the hypothesis of a divine origin for ethics,”(Singer 1994). Religion entails that our actions are determined by our morals, and those morals should be products of religious teachings and commandments. Since utilitarianism argues that our actions have no moral or ethical connotations, religion tends to be viewed as outdated by Singer and other utilitarians. As previously mentioned, the right to freedom of religion is typically connected to the governing laws of a state and its constitution. These laws, as explained in David Lyon’s The Utilitarian Justification of the State, are innately coercive as they limit one's personal freedom. However, so long as these laws provide a larger welfare that has a greater good, laws that provide safety against any encroachments one may experience on their own “happiness” for example, the utilitarian view is fulfilled. This calculation, the utilitarian process of thinking or “deep pragmatism” as Greene states, applies to laws that also guarantee rights. Therefore, the utilitarian perspective on the right to freedom of religion rests on the consequences of having that right versus the consequences of not having that right. If the consequences of providing the right to freedom of religion, and the laws that come with it, prove to result in more positive conscious experiences than any other decision, then, according to the theory of utilitarianism, freedom of religion is the most ethical choice to make. References: Hare, R. M. (1982). Ethical Theory and Utilitarianism, in Sen, A.; Williams, B. (eds.), Utilitarianism and Beyond. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 26 “Joshua Greene on Moral Tribes, Moral Dilemmas, and Utilitarianism - Econlib.” 2022. Econlib. April 10, 2022. https://www.econtalk.org/joshua-greene-on-moral-tribes-moral-dilemmas-and-utilitarianism/#audio-highlights. Schilbrack, Kevin. “E Social Construction of “Religion” and Its Limits: A Critical Reading of Timothy Fitzgerald.” Method and Theory in the Study of Religion, vol. 24, 2012, pp. 97–117, www.researchgate.net/publication/270542633_The_Social_Construction_of_Religion_and_Its_Limits_A_Critical_Reading_of_Timothy_Fitzgerald#:~:text=Abstract,say%2C%20is%20a%20social%20construction. Accessed 5 Aug. 2024. Singer, Peter. How Are We to Live? : Ethics in an Age of Self-Interest. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2008, p. 206. Singer, Peter. Ethics. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1994, p. 6. MacAskill, W., Meissner, D., and Chappell, R.Y. (2023). Introduction to Utilitarianism. In R.Y. Chappell, D. Meissner, and W. MacAskill (eds.), Introduction to Utilitarianism, <https://www.utilitarianism.net/introduction-to-utilitarianism>, accessed 8/5/2024.