What are the main problems it faces?

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that seems to have lots of problems, but when analysing an ethical theory you must keep in mind that the main motive behind anyone's moral values is that they believe them to be correct. So in this respect any ethical theory is defensible by one who believes in its virtues, even if you find the moral judgements made by it to be repugnant.

The main arguments against utilitarianism seem to come from the problems faced when trying to decide what the correct course of action in any given situation should be. There are difficulties with the calculations involved in the decision making process, the probable consequences and the measurement of happiness. There are what seem perverse 'morally right' outcomes that the theory dispenses (which can at times seem contradictory to what the generally accepted absolute values tell us, for instance killing is wrong) and blatant contradictions in the acts that the theory tells us to perform.

Utilitarianism deals with the probable consequences of any given action. Calculations of this type are obviously incredibly unreliable as you are dealing with unknowns. For exampl

In conclusion, utilitarianism is a defensible theory in so far as someone who agreed with it would consider its moral conclusions right. It has major flaws in its doctrine of calculation, that lead to what would seem intolerable or contradictory 'morally right' courses of action. When trying to rectify the seemingly immoral results from the theory, by the introduction of rules, again the theory, or peoples belief in it is open to debate. Overall utilitarianism seems to fall flat on its face in too many situations to be called an adequate moral philosophy.

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