Editing Utilitarianism (section)

==={{Anchor|Ideal utilitarianism}}Ideal utilitarianism===
The description of ideal utilitarianism was first used by [[Hastings Rashdall]] in ''[[The Theory of Good and Evil]]'' (1907), but it is more often associated with [[G. E. Moore]]. In ''Ethics'' (1912), Moore rejects a purely [[hedonistic utilitarianism]] and argues that there is a range of values that might be maximized. Moore's strategy was to show that it is intuitively implausible that pleasure is the sole measure of what is good. He says that such an assumption:<ref name="Moore, G. E. 1912">Moore, G. E. (1912). ''Ethics'', London: Williams and Norgate, Ch. 7</ref>
{{blockquote|involves our saying, for instance, that a world in which absolutely nothing except pleasure existed—no knowledge, no love, no enjoyment of beauty, no moral qualities—must yet be intrinsically better—better worth creating—provided only the total quantity of pleasure in it were the least bit greater, than one in which all these things existed as well as pleasure.

It involves our saying that, even if the total quantity of pleasure in each was exactly equal, yet the fact that all the beings in the one possessed, in addition knowledge of many different kinds and a full appreciation of all that was beautiful or worthy of love in their world, whereas none of the beings in the other possessed any of these things, would give us no reason whatever for preferring the former to the latter.}}

Moore admits that it is impossible to prove the case either way, but he believed that it was intuitively obvious that even if the amount of pleasure stayed the same a world that contained such things as beauty and love would be a better world. He adds that, if a person was to take the contrary view, then "I think it is self-evident that he would be wrong."<ref name="Moore, G. E. 1912"/>