Utilitarian Moral Theory and an Atheist

Utilitarianism is a moral theory that which suggests that we should seek the overall happiness in whatever we do. John Stuart Mill describes this moral theory as being one in which we measure "pleasures" and "pains." The goal is to increase the amount of "pleasure," and minimize the amount of "pain" to be experienced by all individuals, societies, the environment, etc. who will be involved in the decision being made, whether directly or indirectly. A simple example is as follows:

A man is considering whether or not he should divorce his wife. Under traditional moral theories, divorce would often be perceived as being an immoral action in most contexts. For example, the Bible outlaws divorce in most circumstances. The Bible is also said to be a source of absolute morality, so one can not get around the fact. On Utilitarian principles, a man may be able to morally justify divorce from his wife. He examines the situation and becomes aware that his divorce will not render her poor. He sees that more pain then pleasure will be brought to himself and to her if they continue being together indefinitely. He still plans to pay child support and be civil friends with her.

While this may be a simple analogy, the moral implication is fairly clear: it is acceptable to get a divorce in this scenario under Utilitarian moral principles. What makes this moral theory more interesting is that, in another more painful scenario, one could make the claim that divorce is immoral. This lead me to my next point: Utilitarian morality is subjective. It is a relative morality which does not contain absolutes.

How does this relate to atheism and morality, then? The purpose of this post is to reveal that there are many moral theories. When discussing morality with religious individuals, the perception of morality is generally one that is absolute and based strictly off church doctrine. While I would not say Utilitarian moral theory is inherently any better or worse then the morality of any given religion, I do propose it as an alternative that is generally viewed as, at least, relatively valid.

Do you have any thoughts on the topic of Utilitarianism or any variety of moral theories? Sound off in the comments section below.