“All desirable things … are desirable either for the pleasure inherent in themselves, or as means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain.“

John Stuart Mill

What does it mean to you to be “of use”?

Today it can have a negative connotation, people don’t want to be “used” and treated as less than human.

However, when you look through the lens of utilitarianism, to be “of use” will seem a lot more common and neutral.

Utilitarianism is a theory of morality that aims to promote things that contribute to a functioning society rather than the opposite. This, according to John Stuart Mill, is done by having people who *can be* of use, be of use.

For example, if you are capable of being the captain of a ship, it is your obligation to captain a ship when needed. If you are capable of performing CPR, it is your obligation to perform CPR when needed. These skills are referred to as your utility.

Application of the Theory

When you apply this theory to everyday life, Plato hits on this topic in Book 1 of The Republic, describing a conversation between Socrates and Polemarchus.

Socrates: Who is most capable of treating friends well and enemies badly in matters of disease and health?
Polemarchus: A doctor.
S: And who can do so best in a storm at sea?
P: A ship's captain.
S: Now, when people aren't sick, Polemarchus, a doctor is useless to them?
P: True.
S: And so is a ship's captain to those who aren't sailing?
P: True.
S: Is someone a good and useful partner in a game of checkers because he's just or because he's a checkers player?
P: Because he's a checkers player.
S: And so, too, with everything else, justice is useless when they are in use but useful when they aren't?
P: It looks that way.
S: In that case, justice isn't worth much, since it is only useful for useless things. 

That dialogue examined the practical use of a few things, namely, professions and justice. This concept can also be applied to interpersonal relationships,

How do you determine your friends and your enemies? By their utility, according to this theory.

People that make you happy by being themselves are people that should be considered friends, and likewise if there are people that bring you unhappiness through their utility then they should either not be considered your friend or even considered to be your enemy.

S: But surely people make mistakes about this, believing many people to be good and useful when they aren't, and making the opposite mistake about enemies?
P: They do indeed.
...
S: Then, it follows, Polemarchus, that it is just for the many, who are mistaken in their judgement, to harm their friends, who are bad, and benefit their enemies, who are good.
P: That certainly follows. But let's change our definition, for it seems that we didn't define our friends correctly.
S: And how are we to change it now?
P: Someone who is both believed to be useful and is useful is a friend; someone who is believed to be useful and isn't, is believed to be a friend but isn't. And same for the enemy.
S: According to this account, then, a good person will be a friend and a bad one an enemy.

Last Word

To live by the theory of utilitarianism, you’ll live based off of your abilities and your utility. Those who live this way live a just life, and will likely find themselves satisfied knowing that they are living in a way that they were intended for.

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This concludes this post on utilitarianism, if you enjoyed what you read then I recommend you input your email below to receive notifications of future posts.

Take care of yourself and someone else,

-Brandon.