Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is a
consequentialist ethical
doctrine that judges an action
according to its effects or
consequences.
• Photo from: buzzle.com
For this ethical doctrine, a
moral action is one that brings
about the greatest good for
the greatest number.
NOTABLE PROPONENTS
The roots of utilitarianism goes
back to the Greek philosopher
Epicurus, who claimed that the
aim of human life is the
attainment of pleasure and the
avoidance of pain.
Bentham
Bentham came up with a Hedonistic
calculus to balance the pros and cons
of any proposed course of action. The
calculus has 7 guide questions:
 Intensity: how strong is the pleasure?
(an action that brings stronger
intensity of pleasure is better than
another, which may bring weaker
pleasure or even pain)
 Duration: how long does the pleasure
last? (an action that brings about more
lasting pleasure is preferred)
 Certainty or uncertainty: how likely or unlikely that
the pleasure will occur? ( an action that is more
certain to bring pleasure is preferred)
 Propinquity or remoteness: how soon does the
pleasure occur? (an action that brings pleasure sooner
is preferred )
 Fecundity: what is the probability that the action is
followed by sensations of the same kind? ( does this
action also bring about other pleasurable
consequences?)
 Purity: what is the probability that it is not followed by
sensations of the opposite kind? ( an action might
produce pleasure but it might also produce pain)
 Extent: how many people are affected? ( the more
people are benefited, the better)
MILL
Mill on the other hand claims
that the supreme measure of
morality is the Principle of Utility:
the greatest good for the
greatest number.
 Two variations of utilitarianism
Act utilitarianism
Act or Classical utilitarianism: in any given
situation, you should choose the action that
produces the greatest good for the greatest
number
– Objection: But what if the action that produces
the greatest good for the greatest number is bad?
This objection led to the formulation of the
second variant: rule utilitarianism
 Two variations of utilitarianism
Rule utilitarianism
Rule utilitarianism: we ought to live by rules
that, in general, are likely to lead to the
greatest good for the greatest number. Rule
utilitarianism allows us to refrain from acts
that might maximize utility in the short run,
and instead follow rules that maximize utility
for the majority of the time.
 Objections to utilitarianism
Those who oppose utilitarianism claim that it
is not a good ethical doctrine for the following
reasons:
First: that happiness is unattainable. Poverty,
diseases failure thwart our quest to happiness.
– Response of Mill: happiness is attainable –
realistically speaking, life is a mixture of pleasures
and pains, but we can always strive to lessen the
pains.
 Objections to utilitarianism
Second: that utilitarian morality is
incompatible with self-sacrifice
– Response of Mill: utilitarianism is not egoism in
which you are only concerned with your own
happiness. It is other- oriented because it regards
the happiness or well-being of others as
important, or more important than that of the self.
Utilitarianism values the importance of self-
sacrifice.
 Objections to utilitarianism
Third: that social concern is a rare motive of
action
– Response of Mill: this is not true; the principle of
utility puts the welfare of society as greater than
the good of the individual
 The ultimate sanction of utilitarianism
 Man chooses the greatest good for the greatest
number because of his feeling for humanity, or
his compassion towards others. This is what his
conscience impels him to do.
 External sanctions like the expectations of
society and the fear of disapproval by other
people are not the ones that motivate a person
to be ethical, but the internal sanction of his
conscience.
ACTIVITY
 TRUE OR FALSE
1. I care for the welfare of others.
2. Even if I would be left with less or nothing, I
am always generous to others.
3. I’d save myself first before others during a
house fire.
4. I am
 Group 1
SCENARIO 1: You are the man who has the
power to pull the level. What will you do?
 Group 2
SCENARIO 2: I have a heart condition and I
just found out that I am pregnant. This means
that my child and I are in grave danger. My
doctor gave me two choices: I have to go on
with the pregnancy and I will die giving birth,
or I have to abort the baby and I will live for as
long as my condition allows me to. What
should I choose?
P.S. I am a teacher.
 Group 3
SCENARIO 3: I am a doctor. I have 5 terminally
ill patients that are in dire need of medical
attention. I can only attend to four. One of the
patients is a needy admitted earlier than the
other patients of whom four of the biggest
companies in the country belong to.
P.S. The four patients hold the highest rank in
the stock market and are boosters of the
economy.
 Group 4
SCENARIO 4: If you were Robin Hood, would
you steal from the rich to feed the poor?
• Presentation by: Group 4
– Clarissa Orpilla
– Doris Demapendan
– Civ Heinrich Sales
– Ansel Jivan Pascual