The goal of this discussion post is to discuss the flaws in the first objection to

Utilitarianism brought forth by Sterling Harwood, stating that a moral theory need not
be easy to adhere to in order for it to be plausible.

In his Eleven Objections, examines various objections to Utilitarianism. Harwood does

not accept all eleven, with his main goal being to create a survey of such objections and
to provoke further discussion. In his essay, the first objection he brings forth is –
“Utilitarianism is Overly Demanding” (187). In this first objection, he writes that
utilitarianism can seem to demand an “extreme amount of self-sacrifice” (187). For
Harwood, this mainly stems from its monism, with the doctrine maintaining that only
utility has intrinsic value, and nothing else – requiring us to maintain a sense of
impartiality when discovering the Good, in that everyone’s satisfaction is equal. In
addition to this, Harwood indicates that critics argue that Utilitarianism requires us to
take on a “psychologically impossible (or nearly impossible) task of detaching ourselves
from our lives, projects, friends, and loved ones” if doing so would maximize
satisfaction.

When analyzing this proposed flaw of Utilitarianism, it appears that the critics that
adhere to this objection discount Utilitarianism as a moral theory simply because it
makes the Good/the Right Action sometimes difficult to do. It is also important to note
that Harwood does not fully agree with this objection, stating that he “[suspects] that
utilitarianism is not as extremely demanding in everyday life as many think” (188).

With this implication in mind, it is clear that this objection to Utilitarianism is

problematic. It discounts the plausibility of Utilitarianism, simply because it isn’t an
easy moral theory to adhere to. A moral theory need not be easy to follow in order to be
plausible, and it is not a fair standard to be made for evaluation. Even those who don’t
adhere to Utilitarianism would note that in many cases, the Good, and partaking in
Right Action are not always easy things to do, and that discounting a moral theory
simply on whether or not it is easy to adhere to, is not fair point to make.