Moral Universality in J.S. Mill’s Utilitarianism

The article sets a goal to clarify the problem of moral universalism in J.S. Mill’s philosophy as an important element of his methodology in ethics. The starting point of the study is Mill’s requirement: in order to do the right thing, we need to take into account the traditions, values, and moral norms, i.e., universal prescriptive judgments developed in society. The article analyzes Mill’s method of finding maximum utility and achieving general happiness. It is shown that, in this method, universality is the property of moral rules and values to be universally addressed, and this property is based on our common experience as a species. The reverse side of this genesis is the impossibility of absoluteness of these norms and values, due to incompleteness of species experience, which always has specific historical character. Therefore, such rules are subject to change and, while they remain standard in man’s activity, we also have to take them critically. Effective inclusion of moral norms in our search for maximum utility is indirectly confirmed by (a) the example of methodological difficulties in discourse ethics, similar to utilitarianism in the way it seeks rational explication of moral acts, (b) the history of economics as a discipline largely formed under the influence of utilitarianism. In both cases, researchers come to the conclusion that it is necessary to take into account supra-individual experience in decision-making and its influence on the individual. Since species experience is multilevel communication, we can note similarities between the methodology of Mill’s utilitarianism and communicative ethics. It is concluded that the problem of moral universality in Mill’s ethical methodology is revealed as a problem of maximizing communication as the basis of maximizing utility.

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