Understanding J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism EP 6 What Utilitarianism Is (cont.)

Mill continues his responses to his critics in the concluding section of chapter 2 of Utilitarianism. The two final criticisms are that the principle of utility is useless in most cases in which moral choices must be made, and that utilitarianism promotes partiality or selfishness. Mill answer the first objection by making the surprising claim that utilitarianism can use ordinary moral rules in making moral choices. He answers the second objection by saying that partiality is a criticism made to all ethical theories not just the utilitarian theory. But the problem lies not in the theories but in the people who are using the theories to make moral decisions.