3.4.1  Utilitarianism and War

Utilitarianism and War
How would a utilitarian decide whether was is right or wrong?
To answer this we need to consider how war fits in with the Greatest Happiness Principle.
What criteria will utilitarians use to determine whether war is acceptable?

Next, we need to consider these three aspects :

CONSEQUENCES :
What are the long term and short term effect of a war?

• Consider deaths and injuries
• Consider the misery of invasion and loss of freedom
• What will happen after the war?

HEDONISM :
How much pain, how much pleasure will the war bring?

• Will the war bring pain? How much?
• Will the war bring any pleasure? How much?
• Will there be a greater absence of pain by going to war or by not going to war?

EQUITY :
How many lives will be lost? Will there be more or less than if the war did not occur?

• Remember that Utilitarians believe that all life is of equal value, so 'innocents' in war don't exist - a life is a life.
• What will the consequences be? Will there be a better lifestyle afterwards?
• Proportionality.