Canoverallpleasurebeindividualpleasure?

INTRODUCTION
1.ThefollowingresponsewillfirstlyacknowledgeJeremyBenthamsunderpinningsonhisutilitarianprinciple.
WiththisschoolofthoughtIwillendeavortoconceptualizeitspracticabilityinreallife.Iwillalsoconstructively
criticitinrelationtoitsrestatementaspropoundedbyJohnStuartMillwhogreatlyinfluencesmychainofthought.
LastlyIwilladdressesthereasonastowhyIchoosethisschoolofthought.Thewordspleasureandsatisfaction
willalsobeusedinterchangeablytheyconnotethesamemeaningthroughouttheessay.
2.Utilitarianism,aconceptdevelopedbyJeremyBentham,itsproponentsisbasedonwhatmakesactionsrightor
morally wrong, morally permissible if and only if they produce at least as much net happiness as any other
available.1 Utilitarianismisaformofconsequentialism,whichimpliesthatthe"endjustifiesthemeans".This
principleallowsmantoapproveordisapproveofanactionaccordingtothetendencytopromoteoropposehis
happiness.Painandpleasurewerethedeterminantfactorsthesehereferredtoasthesovereignmasters,thatwemay
approveordisapproveanaccordingtoitstendencytoincreaseordiminishanindividualshappiness.
3.IbeginbyagreeingwithBenthaminsomerespectsmoresoonissuerelatingtopenalpunishmentsplacedon
individualsforthegreatergood,thatthegreaterthecrimethemorestringentthepunishment. 2Ifeellikeifwewere
totakethisanalogyintopracticeitwouldnotsatisfymostsituations.IfeelBenthamdoesnotaccountforthose
individualswhoarenotsatisfied.
4.Wecanapplythis,inthiswayObamasarrivalwascharacterizedbyeagerlyawaitingKenyansofcourse
includingthePresidenthimselfandhise.t.cs.Now,mostKenyansviewedthismonumentsoccasionfromtheir
televisionsandsoKenyapowerwaswellawarethatatsuchandsuchhourselectricityshouldbeupandrunningin
allhouseholds.InapplicationtoBenthamsanalogyallKenyansshouldbesatisfiedandthereforeanyotherfactor,
1 L B Curzon Barrister JURISPRUDENCE, (first published in 1993) pg 59 paragraph 6.2
2 ibid n1 6.7

whichheequatesaspain,isevil.Now,Idisagreewithhimtothisextent,sayforexampleatoneoftheKenya
powerelectricityplantsamanfallsdowninsidethemainpowerplantthatlightsallKenyanhouseholdstripsover
amaincircuitwireasaresultgetselectrocuted,butinordertosavehislifethewholeplanthastobeshutdown.In
Benthamsanalogyitwouldbethatthisindividualdiesforthegreatestpleasure,inthatifheweretobesavedthe
consequencewouldbenegatefromtheprincipleofconsequentialismandthereforewouldbeevil. 3NotallKenyan
householdshavetelevisionssets,thisbeinganassumption.IthinkthatinapplyingBenthamsutilitarianismwe
shouldlookattheoverallgoodratherthanthenumberssatisfied.
5.Ifeelthatweshouldlookatitallinamoralperspective,whichwouldbetheeliminationofamoralwrong.In
thiscasewewouldshutdowntheplantandsavethemanslife.BearinginmindalsonotallKenyanshave
digitallymigratedandthereforearewethengoingtosacrificeonepersonslifeforasmalldigitalizedgroupof
individuals?6.Conversely,Ifeelweshouldbearinmindthatoverallhappinessisnotquantifiable.Itwouldbe
absurd to assume that all Kenyans those who watched Obamas arrival were all satisfied. However we can
acknowledgethattheywerehappytohaveelectricityintheirhomes.(Butthenagainweretheyhappythatthey
hadelectricity)Itisinmyopinionthat,theutilitarianprincipleshouldbelookedatnotasameanstosatisfya
majorityfromacertainconsequenceoraction,butfromtheoveralloutcomeofthisoneconsequence,thequality
producedperindividual.Suchthatindividualsareabletochooseonthosefactorsthatgivethebestexperience,or
outcomeofthisonefactorthathasproducedthehappiness.
7.Thisanalogymaybeillustratedinthisfashion,sayforinstanceduringtheairingofhisarrival,acertainsoap
operawasshowingandasitisinmostcasesallTVstationswereairinghisarrival.Whatthenhappenstothose
individualswhowerekeenlyfollowingtheirdailysoapoperascanwethensaytheyweresatisfied?Ifeelthat
happinessshouldnotbemeasuredquantitatively,butshouldbeattributedtothefactorsthatproducethehighest
satisfactionorhappinessorinthiscasepleasure.
3 ibid n1 6.2.2

8.JohnStuartMillwhomsometextwritersreferhimtohaverestatedBenthamsanalogy,concededtoclaimthat
there are those factors that create higher pleasures than others. Instead of construing Benthams analogy that
pleasureshouldandthereforecanbeattributedbythegreatestnumbers. 4Millinthisregardproceedstostatethat
certain factors should be grouped those that give higher pleasure those that give lower pleasure, in this case
happiness.IseemtoagreewithMillmoreinthisrespect,withtheuseofthepreviousillustrationsupposethatthe
wholeofKileleshwaorratherapotionofitwasnotfullysatisfiedwiththeairingofObamasarrivalandthose
livingonMombasaroad,southBforinstancewereinfactfullysatisfied.Millsanalogyinthisrespectisthatthe
individualsinKileleshwadidnotexperienceamuchhigherhappinessorsatisfactionasthoseinSouthB.

Conclusion
9.WhatIameffortlesslytryingtoalludetoisthequantitativenaturethatBenthamisequatinghappinessto,inthis
casesatisfactioncannotbeexperiencedsummarily,andthereforemeasuringitobjectivelywouldmeanthatwe
wouldhavetohaveacertaindegreeorthreshold,aquantifiabletooverallsatisfaction,somewhatlikeavalue.Ifeel
thatMillismostpotentthathappinessshouldbebasedontheoverallstrengthofthephenomenon,whichresultsto
thegreatestexperience.ThoseindividualswholiveinKileleshwacouldnothavebeensatisfiedbyObamasarrival
atthesamequantifiableoutcomeasthoseindividualswholiveinSouthB.HoweverIfeelitshouldbeunderstoodas
thosewholiveinKileleshawaexperiencedadifferenthigherpleasureasopposedtothoseinSouthB.
10.WiththisillustrationinmyviewIammovedwiththeideathat,individualpleasuresareuniqueandsothose
pleasures that create an overall qualitative experience should be placed in their own categories. With the
categorizationofthesepleasures,thismakesthemuniquefromoneindividualtoanother.Therefore,sayforexample
Sexualintercoursecoulddifferfromoneindividualtoanotherandsoistheloveforicecream.Inconclusion,Ido
notthinkthatBenthamsutilityconceptcansatisfyallindividualpleasurescollectively. Thisschoolofthought
greatlyinfluencedmyintellectsbecauseitaddresspracticalissuesmoresopragmaticthisIfindmostinteresting.
4 ibid n1 pg69 7.2

References

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