MARIKINA POLYTEOfNIC COU£GE

Marikina city

VS5ons on Utilitorianism in General Education 7 {Eth~ :

Jltilitarianism1 a n ethical theory that argues for the goodness of pleasure and the determination of right
behavior on the usefulness ;of the action's consequences. This means that pleasure is good and the
goodness of action is determined by its usefulness.

From the root word Utility which refers to the usefulness of the one' s action and behavior. This
d arifies that one' s action and behavior are good in as much as they are directed toward the experience
of the greatest p le asure over pain for the greatest number of people. Some individuals' righ ts can be
ScJcrificed for the sake of the greater happiness of the many.

UJil4Jtj;;mis1', is a svstem of morality which judges the morality of human acts in tenns of
ha ppiness or good that they bring about. It also tells us to maximize the all good in order to produce the
greatest good for the greater number.

Jeremy Bentham - the friend and disciple of James M_ill who is the father of John Stuart Mill formed the
tv10 sovereign masters, the pleasure and pain.

Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart MjU are two foremost Utilitarian thinkers. Their system of
Hhics emphasizes the consequences of action which means that the "'goodness or the badness• of an
a<'.:t ion is based on whether it is useful in contributing to the specific purpose for the greater number of
people. Utilitarianism is a c:onsequentialist which means that the moral value of action and decision are
based on the usefulness of results that determine whether the action or behavior is good or bad.

If the act tends to maximize the good consequences. it is ethically right; it it doe.s not. the act is
ethically wrong. Thece are three versions of Utilitarjanisrg found in the writings of Epicurus~ Benthamh
John Stuart Mill a nd later on Moore. These are the following :

1. Preferential Utilitarianism - sees good as the happiness that results from the satisfaction of desires.
nn this view, people are happy when they have what they want, when their desired are satisfied.

2. Hedonistic Utilitarianism - takes pleasure to be the only good value for its sake. Pleasure and the
absence of pain are universally desired.

3. Ideal Utilitariaoi$':Q,-was promoted by Moore. He agreed with Bentham and Mill that the rightness
of our acts must be determined by the goodness of their consequences that is, by their utility, but he
denied that the only kind of consequences to be taken into consideration are the pleasure and pain that
our acts produce. He is also concerned about the good life and made a major contributuion to the
utilitarian theory.

Pw 00$ qrincioles of ~litarianis,a:

We do w hat is pleasurable and we do not do what is painful.
Utilitaria nism holds that the most ethical choice is the one who will produce the greatest good
for the greatest number.
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Quantitative model of Jeremy Bentham

o .C onsidered as the Father of Utilitariani/.

o He 2qi..iates happines5 with pieasure.
o He viewed all pleasures as equal.
o Ple.asure and pain stand above all other considerations
.........~ n act produces more pleasure than pain then It is good
• If it produces more pain than pleasure, it is wrong.
o Felicific Calculus/ Hedonistic Calcufus - the formula created by Bentham to count the net
. pleasure .
o He believes that pleasure could be quantified.
o He quantifies pleasure using these elements,;

1 . Intensity (How strong is the pleasure?)

2 . Duration ( How long is the effect?)

3 . Certainty ( If the action will definitely produce pleasure)

4 . Propinquity (When will the pleasure occur?)

o Weakness of the model : It is consequentialist

( Meaning the actiori is judged by its consequences only not by the intention behind it.)

Knowing this, his idea might produce immoral acts but on the other side, it might also produce
greater good for a. big number of people .

Qualitative model of John Stuart Mjll

o He argued that pleasure may differ in quality.

o According to, there are two types of pleasure:
a) Higher pleasure (Those that require mental faculties that only educated humans
could obtain)
b) Lower pleasure (bodily pleasures that both animals and human could experience)
o He wanted to avoid the concept of "Tyranny of the majority" which could occur under
Bentham's Utilitarianism.
o 'It is .better to be human
. being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to pe a Socrates
. ~

dissatisfied than a fool satisfied' ·

o He believed that rights should be protected and injustice should be avoided.